Hi everyone,
I'm Whitney Korman.
Thank you so much for joining me today for this class centered around giving and receiving.
So we'll be opening up the heart.
We're going to start on our seats and do some somatic work on our seats and then we'll come to our back.
So no standing today.
You might want a couple of blankets,
Even one would be fine.
I don't think you're going to need anything else.
So with that,
We're going to get started on our seats here.
You could be in a cross-legged position.
You could have your legs out a little bit further.
As always,
You get to choose the pace,
The intensity.
This is your practice and somatic work really is about listening to the body,
The soma.
And the more that you can listen to your body intuitively,
You learn to move through the world in a way that is healing for you.
I know that being a natural giver myself,
Sometimes I have a hard time receiving.
So you might feel the same way,
I'm not sure,
But at the very least I hope this opens your heart,
Gives you more space for breath,
And also helps to regulate your nervous system.
So with that,
Again,
We'll get started in a cross-legged position.
You might take a moment just to kind of notice your seat.
You can add a little movement if you want here.
And then let's come into our space by taking a deeper breath in and just notice it expand in your body.
And then exhale.
You might sigh the breath out,
Feel the shoulders drop.
And a couple more like that on your own.
And again,
And as you breathe in,
We'll start to bring all your energy back to yourself.
And just feel your body here in space and time.
Your eyes can be closed or softly open.
And so let's take a moment to kind of redraw a boundary around ourselves.
And I say redraw like in terms of if your energy has been outward more than drawing inward.
And so you might envision a bubble around you.
You get to decide how big the bubble is.
Is it quite big today?
Is it a lot closer in?
Maybe it's even at the edges of your skin.
And then maybe you envision this bubble being filled with some color of light.
Some color of light that feels nourishing,
Supportive.
And as you're breathing in and out,
Maybe you allow the bubble to move,
Like expand with your breath a bit.
It could be a lot.
And then as you exhale,
It draws in just as much as you allow it.
And in this bubble,
You feel safe and protected.
Maybe there's some kind of temperature to the light that fills it.
And now what would happen if you allowed this bubble to be porous?
And so you're not only giving,
But you're receiving.
You're not only loving,
But you are loved.
You deserve to receive just as much as you give.
What would happen if you touched into your heart space and you took a breath from the center of your heart all the way to the edges of your bubble?
Maybe let it seep out through those little pinholes.
And then exhale and bring all that sweet energy back to yourself.
And a couple more like that.
Breathing in,
Let the breath expand.
And then exhale,
Draw all that energy back to yourself.
And a Now,
Eyes closed or softly open,
Just bring your palms together.
And what I want you to do is just to start to clasp kind of like hold your hands and keep like switching the grip and kind of pressing in kind of creating these compressions.
There's so much energy in our hands.
And so we'll use today to kind of apply some self-touch.
Our relationship with touch is different for everybody.
So just in a way that feels supportive for you,
You get to change it up.
You get to decide how much pressure,
How slow,
How fast,
All of that.
So now start to take these compressions and move up and down your arms.
And there's you might even play with the amount of pressure on the compressions.
Like maybe it's really light.
Maybe it's more of like a,
I don't know,
A Swedish massage.
So it's like little mini hugs on your arms.
And then once you've kind of come back to the beginning,
We're going to take our hands to the heart.
I've got a mic here so I can't all the way do it.
But kind of cross your wrist and your hands are going to be like right underneath your collarbones.
We're going to stretch the neck and the heart center or the chest rather.
So on your next inhale,
You're just going to lift your chin.
So keep the back of your neck long and just the pressure of your hands will help to stretch the front of your neck.
Really easy with these movements.
Exhale and look down.
Inhale and look up.
Exhale and look down.
Inhale,
Look up.
And exhale,
Look down.
Bring your head back to neutral and leave your bottom hand.
Just release the other hand and you might be on a different side than me.
But see if your right hand is on your chest.
You're going to lift your chin up and then turn the head,
Lean the head to the right.
So the head just goes to the opposite side of where that hand is.
I hope that makes sense.
And then you're going to move in this diagonal direction.
So kind of lift the chin up on a diagonal and then lower it back down.
And you're really like way behind your edge.
Like go super slow.
And then again,
Like kind of 70% is what I usually like to practice at.
And the slower you go,
The more intentional you are,
The more grounded you can feel in your body,
The more sensation you can feel.
All right,
Then maybe look down if that feels all right.
Take a breath there.
And then look forward.
Slowly bring your head back to neutral and we'll just switch sides.
So switch your hands,
Lift your chin up so slightly,
And then lean the head to the opposite side.
I know this side's tighter for me.
And then again,
Kind of lift your chin on that diagonal and then lower it down.
And anywhere that you feel like you need to stay,
Then just stay and find your breath.
Good.
And on this last one,
Maybe you find a space where you can look down and just pause and breathe.
All right,
And turn the head back to look forward.
Bring the head up to neutral and release.
Kind of just turn your head from side to side.
And just notice if it feels a little more open.
And then we've got one more movement here.
And just be really careful with this one.
So you can either kind of hold the base of your skull there.
You can even kind of interlace.
I kind of like the interlace.
So on your next inhale,
Kind of lift up like you did before,
But you're going to have a little bit of resistance there.
And then exhale and round.
Really easy on your neck.
Inhale,
Lift up.
And exhale,
Round.
And then this time,
Go ahead and at the end of the movement,
We're going to add on.
So as you exhale,
Go ahead and round down.
And then really easy with this,
Start to straighten your spine and lift your head.
But just before you get to the top,
Press the back of your head into your hands and then your hands ever so slightly into the back of your head.
Just lengthening the back of the neck.
Breathe.
And then come on up.
Release your arms.
Take a breath in.
And exhale it out.
And now turn the head again.
Just kind of notice if you find a little more freedom there.
Okay.
And now let's go ahead and come down to our backs.
You could have your blankets kind of nearby if you want to.
I've got a thin blanket here that I'm going to keep there.
So go ahead and roll down to your back.
Hug your knees into your chest.
Your choice to find stillness or maybe you start to rock or even take the knees into circles.
And just start to find ground underneath you.
What does it feel like?
Maybe you move really slow right here so you can feel.
Okay.
Once you feel evened out,
Go ahead and very slowly drop your toes down and then slowly,
Slowly release the rest of the feet to the earth.
We're going to do a little movement with breath work.
If you've practiced with me before,
I love this sequence.
So a really beautiful way to connect to everything and to open your lungs,
The heart center,
All the things.
So on your next inhale,
You're going to lift your hips and your arms at the same time.
So here we go.
Inhale.
Lift your hips.
Lift your arms all the way back and make your arms as wide as it feels comfortable on your shoulders.
And then exhale.
Slowly intentionally drop everything back down.
I'm going super slow so just notice that that pace is good for you.
Inhale.
Just as long as your breath allows.
Put it that way.
Exhale.
So if you can find the rhythm of the movement and the breath going at the same pace,
It can feel really nourishing but it does take intentionality.
I'm going to do one more and then I'm going to add on.
You can stay with this of course.
If you're coming with me,
After this exhale,
We're going to stretch the legs out long and then stretch the arms overhead.
Kind of like a morning stretch but it might be evening for you.
And then on your exhale,
Re-bend your knees.
Take your arms down by your sides.
And then keep your knees bent.
Inhale.
Lift your hips and arms.
Exhale.
Just giving yourself the gift of going slow and paying attention to yourself.
Stretch your legs and arms out.
Take a breath in.
And exhale.
And one more round.
And then exhale.
We'll all meet with knees bent.
And then the arms come down.
And then step your feet as wide as your mat.
And then take your hands to your heart and your belly and just let the knees rock in.
If you feel any pressure in your knees,
You might try scooching your feet out or you can just have regular knees bent.
Roll your shoulders back so the shoulder blades lay as flat as possible.
And then take an inhale.
And then exhale.
And just feel yourself really grounded into the earth.
Let her hold you.
And from the backside of your heart,
Can you receive that support?
You are loved and you are loving.
You are both of those things.
You can be the giver and the receiver.
And you're welcome to stay here for a final resting pose or stretch your legs out long.
I'm going to do something a little different and come into a fetal position.
So I'm just going to turn on my side.
I'm going to grab my blankets.
And then you can use just your arm or you can use your blankets and your arm to support your head.
And wherever you're at,
Whether you're with me or in another position,
Just really take a few moments to find what feels good.
You might kind of rock back and forth and just find that Goldilocks position,
That just right position that feels supportive.
And no rush,
But whenever you find that place where it feels nurturing,
Take a deep breath in and exhale it out.
And just give way into the earth.
Allow yourself to rest.
You're welcome to stay as long as you like.
Maybe tune me out or turn me off.
Otherwise,
Take a deeper breath in and exhale,
Maybe sigh it out.
You might wiggle your fingers and your toes.
And stretch long if you'd like to.
And just any kind of intuitive movement.
I'm going to go ahead and press up to my seat.
You can join me whenever you're ready.
We'll just take a minute to close together.
Once you come to your seat,
Just take a moment here and just pause.
Notice any shifts that may have occurred.
You don't have to name them,
But just notice how you feel.
And as you move about your day today,
Maybe you practice envisioning that porous bubble filled with light,
Protecting you,
And just maybe protecting you in a softer way.
A reminder to receive as much as you give as much as possible.
Thanks for practicing with me today.
I hope you enjoyed your practice.
I hope you feel nice and nourished.
Namaste.
