Full Body Somatic Spirals

This gentle somatic movement practice uses slow, circular motions to awaken the ankles, hips, spine, shoulders, and arms while encouraging deep diaphragmatic breathing. By exploring fluid, pain-free movement and bringing awareness to your body, you'll release tension, improve mobility, and calm your nervous system. The practice finishes with a mindful walking and grounding meditation to help you feel centered, energised, and deeply relaxed, carrying a sense of ease and presence into the rest of your day.

Transcript

Standing up straight. Feet hip-width apart. Feel the floor underneath the feet. Distribute your weight evenly between the right and left. And start to breathe into your diaphragm. Feeling the belly expand to the front and sides with every inhale. Diaphragmatic breathing. Signals to the nervous system. That it's time to relax. Shift the weight to one side. And we're going to start moving the other ankle. In a circular motion. Feel this movement. Through all of the little bones of the ankle. You might hear some crunching and creaking. Now draw that circle the other way. Last circle. And let's do the other side. Circling the ankle outwards Now we rarely put our ankles through this range of motion. So relish it. And enjoy it. Now move the other way. And always moving. Within the pain-free range of motion. Always listening to the body. And place the foot back down. Spread the feet apart a little wider. And we're going to move the hips in a circle. And see if you can keep the chest and head. Completely still in place. Isolating just the hips. Keeping the knees nice and relaxed here. Avoiding locking them into a straightened position. And notice this contrast. Between the still upper body. And the fluid lower body. Make these circles slow and smooth. Breathing down into the belly. And change directions of the circle. Feel how this movement changes. Stirs the hip joints inside the socket of the pelvis. Feel how the lower back is moving. And notice how good it feels. Once again unless you are dancing a lot. Or taking some other kind of class. We do not move our bodies. In these circular movements very often. And come back to the center. Bring the feet in just a little. And let's move up to the ribcage. This time we're going to keep the pelvis to the feet. And we're going to move just the ribs. So see if you can move them in a circle. Moving the ribcage back. To the side, To the front. Allowing the spine to curve and arch with it. And once again, We almost never. Move in this circular way through the ribcage. So explore this movement. Feel the motion in the ribs. Opening of the chest. And notice how the shoulders move along as well as you do these circles. And draw the circle the other way. This movement really feels like you're lubricating the spine. And breathe here. Enjoy the feeling. Beautiful. And come back to center. Feel how the energy is circulating. Through the body. Rising up from the lower body. Up into the chest and the head. And we're going to continue to bring that energy up. By moving the shoulders in circles. Bring one shoulder back in a circle. And when it reaches the starting point. They bring the other shoulder back in a second. And start to alternate this movement. Letting the ribcage rotate swimming the shoulders back. Keeping the head still towards the front. Isolating the shoulders and the ribcage. And feel the muscles in the back activate. As you pull the shoulders back. And breathe. It really feels like you're swimming through the air. And we can start to add in some arms. Like you're doing a backstroke. Keeping the elbows bent. Or you can straighten them. Whatever feels good for you. Let your body guide the movement. And now come back to center. Move that through the elbows now. Making outward circles. With the hands. Rotating through the elbow joint. And make the hands beautiful. See if you can evoke. That grace. Through the movement. And open the chest, Bring the shoulders back. And breathe here. And we're going to extend this circular movement. Through the whole spine. So bending the knees. Cross the arms. And as you strengthen. Bring the arms out in a circle. Open the chest. And let them drift down. When you get to the bottom, Bend the knees, Cross the arms. Inhale. And exhale as the arms drop. Inhale as you come up. Exhale as you come down. And continue here. Closing down the eyes if you want a little more challenge. Becoming completely comfortable in your space. And feeling safe enough. To take up space. And your goal for it. Slow and controlled. And last one. And come back to your center. We're going to end this practice. With walking. First, Start to pace in a circle. Small circle or big circle, Whatever your space allows for. Feeling the floor beneath the feet. And now start to incorporate. A circular movement. Anywhere else in the body. You may want to circle the wrist. The elbows. Or the whole arm, Just like we did. Or you may want to circle the shoulders. This is your time to play. And explore any other circular movements. Noticing all of the possibilities. And as you do this, As you flow through these movements. Let's Any emotions you feel, Show through your face. So for me, That's definitely through a soft smile. And now begin your circle the other way. Exploring circles and spirals with the body. Really feeling how the energy is flowing through the entire system. Finish last round. And come back to your center. Place the hand. In the space below your belly button. Right over the lower energy centers. Keep the eyes closed. Feel the warmth of the hands on the skin. Feel the safety and stability of the body through the feet. Completely grounded to the earth. Feel how the shoulders have relaxed down away from the ears. How the face and jaw is completely relaxed. How the mind is clear. Using movement. You've melted the thoughts and worries away. And notice how easy it was to shift into this state. Breathing deeply. Feeling the energy grounded through the feet. Feeling good. Stay here for as long as you need. And carry this feeling of peace with you. Throughout the rest of your day. Thank you so much for practicing with me.