How can you experience freedom in movement?

In case you haven’t read the other blogs on freedom, the key teaching behind this practice is that of our freedom of choice in each moment to take responsibility for how we want to experience the moment. I can choose to be free, right now.

Step 1: Choose your Shapes

You can choose any shape or pose for this practice, but here are some suggestions of experience freedom of choice in experience through the body.

As we feel intensifying sensations, do we back off, persevere and how do we stay in the intensity?

Can you feel freedom in other parts of the body so that it expands and open?

What is the mind’s story? Can you cultivate thoughts of gentle and kind perseverance?

Top tip for these shapes - they need to be challenging but your technique is safe. If you feel pain then please practise discipline of self-kindness and stop. Tremors are safe to feel and experience. It is the nervous system resetting.

Reset your body and shake out after the shapes.

Step 2: Warm up as you like

Shake out the day from your body. Feel the joints and body, add sound if you wish.

Step 3: Squat for 3-5 minutes

A squat can be a good pose for deep nervous system patterns of hyperactivity. This tires the muscles of fight, flight or freeze in the legs and low core.

Keep the upper body fluid and gentle. Focus on relaxing the upper body so that it is free. This builds resilience in the nervous system for when under stress so that we can feel courage and alignment, or walk away if misaligned. 

Step 4: Plank for 3-5 minutes

A plank is a progressive challenge from the squat as it requires the upper body to be open, soft and expansive with the lower body.

Often we grip and clench the jaw, neck and shoulders so we want to ensure that these stay open. The upper back’s expansion will help to create the softness required for the entire body. That is due to the connection of the upper core, shoulder stabilising muscles and pelvic stabilisers, including the glutes and thigh muscles. You can wiggle the jaw to ease out the gripping.

Boredom can kick in for those that are physically fit. If this is you, then steady the mind from needing entertainment. Draw deeper awareness to the intimacy of feelings in the body and tune into refining how much more free and expansive the muscles can become in the shape.

STOP if you grip, clench or feel stabbing pains.

Step 5: Stillness in Shavasana or Rest

Make sure that you are comfortable with props and warmth.

To stay still is truly a challenge for many of us. Especially, stillness in relaxation and not fidgeting.

Allow the body to sink into the ground and be held by Mother Earth, focus on the subtle stillness of the body (like in the Body-mind stillness meditation practice here).

This is about the freedom to not react to external circumstances and choose to remain in a restful, peaceful state.

Want more of these practices?

Each month in the Embody Life Sanctuary we explore a simple theme to contemplate in life through thoughts, relationships, breath, movement and meditation.

ENJOY THE 14 TRIAL HERE