Blithering: I prefer to stand up, but you can also be seated. As you take a big inhale, lift your arms overhead and as you exhale let out a baaaa sound as you imagine you are a tree trying to shake off your leaves, let your arms and body shake until your arms are along your sides. I like to do it three times, you can make any noise that you like. On the last one, continue to move your entire body, while you visualize opening all of your joints, releasing any tension they may hold. This movement is also called spontaneous Qigong. When you stop moving, just notice any sensations that you might feel.
Three Intentions:
- Posture. If you are seated, slide forward in your chair, allowing your spine to lengthen up long; like someone has a string attached to the top of your skull and they are gently lifting upward to create space between each vertebrae. Find your feet about hip width apart and let them be rooted into the earth. If you are standing, feel the same sensation of space between the vertebrae as the crown of your head reaches toward the sky. Feel your feet routed to the earth hip width apart. Relax your fingers and let your arms softly float off your shoulders. Release any tension in your jaw.
- Breath. Begin by just noticing your breath and then start to invite the breath to come deep in the lungs, allowing the diaphragm to move downward letting the belly expand like a balloon as you inhale and let it gently release as you exhale. Sometimes, it helps to bring awareness to the belly breath by placing a hand on your belly and noticing the rise and fall with each inhalation and exhalation.
- Present Moment. Allow yourself to be in the present moment. You can bring your awareness inside, just noticing what you feel in your body or your can look around you just noticing what you see. Letting go of judgement and just noticing.
Flowing Posture: Remain in your wonderful posture from the three intentions. If seated, as you inhale, lift your heels up; as you exhale, lift your toes up. Rocking your feet with the breath. If you are standing, as you inhale, shift your weight toward the balls of your feet. As you exhale, shift your weight back towards your heels. Then, seated or standing you can add your arms. Allowing your arms to float up with each inhalation (palms facing the sky) and with the exhalation, letting them float down (palms facing the earth). The movement of the arms can be small or big, just listening to your body and seeing what it needs at the moment. Flowing posture helps to stimulate the flow of lymphatic fluid throughout our body; so you can imaging vitality traveling to each cell in your body as your practice this movement - enjoying the movement with the breath.
Heart Centered Breathing: Coming back to the belly breathing in the three intentions. Place a hand on your belly and just notice the belly breath. Noticing the pace of the breath, the softness of the breath and giving gratitude to your lungs for all the work they do without us ever asking them to breath - bringing in vital oxygen to nourish our cells and releasing toxins that your body no longer needs. Then, place the other hand in your heart area and listen for the beat of the heart, noticing the pace and giving the same type of gratitude to our heart. Then, bringing your awareness to the differences in the pace of the heart and the lungs and giving gratitude to the two of them for working together to nourish and cleanse our bodies. Maybe even smiling at them.
I hope you enjoy this practice! Namaste.
