Softening For Length & Strength: Resilient Spine

Hi,

This is Meg Renaldi of Body Centered Inquiry and welcome to this Somatic Movement Session,

Softening for Strength and Length.

For this session you can be on a firm bed or on a padded surface on the ground.

In either case,

Please use a rolled up bath towel or yoga blanket for head support.

Bed pillows are too soft for this kind of work and will actually stop the movement we want to encourage.

Have clothing for warmth and ease of movement.

Wear a sock or bare feet.

And if you can,

Remove your bra.

Maybe wear a sports bra,

Something that doesn't inhibit the movement of the ribcage which is going to be important for this session.

Turn off the tech other than what you need to listen.

You will be lying on one side or the other for most of this session.

If you can only do the session on one side,

Then do the session on that side.

Go with what's easy.

And you'll find with time that what's more challenging can become more accessible.

And when you're ready,

Please gather your props and come to lie on your back.

Take time to settle in.

You can have your feet standing or legs long.

What feels easier for you right now?

Go with that.

Listen for your breathing and take time and allowing your breathing to settle and the in-breath and out-breath to even out.

Compare the two sides of your body and how you make contact with the ground right now.

And tuck that image away for later in the session.

And remember also that any time throughout the session you can pause the audio and linger where you need to.

It's your time and this is for your learning.

And when you're ready,

Gently roll onto your right side.

And remember,

If you can only lie on one side right now,

Then adapt the session accordingly.

Gentle support for awareness is what expands our brain map.

That's at the heart of brain training.

Pour up your knees to a comfortable angle about 45 degrees to your body.

One leg resting on top of the other.

Knees together,

Ankles together.

And adjust your head support as needed.

Find a restful place for your arms right now.

And take time to sense the support that's beneath you.

The support that's always there.

Allow yourself to play with the idea that the ground is dynamic and is moving toward you as you rest more into it.

So much work goes on in the muscles and bones.

Just beneath the threshold of our awareness.

Taking time to rest into the support that's there brings quiet to the nervous system.

Take time to allow your breathing to even out as you lie here on your side.

Could there be a softening in the face,

The eyes,

The tongue,

The throat,

The jaw?

If you take the time to just do this much of the session,

It's enough.

When you're ready,

Extend your arms out away from your shoulder.

Left palm resting on right palm.

The arm is straight but not locked.

And begin to glide the left palm forward and then back to where you started.

So you're gliding the left palm forward and then back to where you started.

Keep the movement small and simple.

The elbow is straight but not locked.

And you're breathing.

Listen for when you breathe in and when you breathe out.

Do this movement of gliding forward with your left hand and then gliding back.

And then pause on your side.

Be aware of your breathing and your connection to the ground beneath you.

And resume this same movement of gliding the left palm,

The left arm forward and back.

And then begin to also draw the arm back towards you.

So the fingertips of the left hand touch around the wrist of the right hand.

But the left arm remains straight.

Not locked but straight.

So some place else has to yield.

And then glide the hand back to where you started.

Then glide the hand forward in front of the right palm.

And then back to the right palm.

And then back towards yourself.

What we're listening for is becoming more agile in rotation.

Imagine that the left arm connects deeply into the spine.

That the movement for your arm actually begins in your spine,

Which it does.

So how does that change the movement for you?

How do you access that movement forward and back knowing that the movement for the arm and hand actually begins deep in your back?

Gliding forward,

Gliding to where the two palms come together and then gliding the arm back towards you.

You have to yield to the center of yourself somewhere.

And notice how the ribs against the ground are rolling.

Explore that a few more times with again the self-image that the movement for the arm doesn't begin in the shoulder or the wrist or the fingers or the hand but deep in the spine,

Deep in your back.

And then return to rest on your back.

You can have legs long or feet standing as you wish.

And then roll onto your right side again.

Adjust your headrest.

Extend your arms away as you did before.

Draw up your knees.

And explore that movement of gliding the hand forward and back.

Listening for how you could access that flexibility,

That limberness that's waiting for you to rediscover it actually in your spine.

The more we're able to access the rotational ability of the spine,

The more length and strength we actually gain in our movement.

So do that a few more times listening for how you could soften through the ribs in the front that attach to the breastbone as well as the ribs that connect to the spine and the back.

Breathing,

Allowing the head and neck to be free to move if they'd like to.

Breathing and then pause on your side.

Remembering the ground beneath you that's always there to support you and your breathing.

Applying any softness that could be there in the jaw,

Throat,

Tongue,

Eyes,

Face.

And now begin to glide the left knee forward in the same way as you move the left palm forward.

The knees remain connected and the left knee glides forward,

Not anywhere up toward the ceiling but forward,

And then slide it back to where you started.

Gliding the left knee forward,

You may notice that the leg calls to the pelvis and into the spine and you begin to roll a bit forward.

Listen for how that simple movement of gliding the knee forward and then back to where you started calls through the pelvis and deep into your spine and the spine rotates too and your whole body could roll a little bit on the ground.

Just do this two or three or four more times in a simple way.

And realizing that the power for your leg movements come from the rotational capacity of your spine.

So that soft invitation to rotate also brings in length and strength.

And then pause.

And then begin to play with gliding the knee forward and then drawing the leg back toward you.

So the femur bone or the thigh bone becomes like a piston.

It's gliding forward,

Comes back to where the two knees connect and then you're gliding the leg back toward you.

So again that rotation begins to happen.

Keep the movement small,

Quiet and doable.

Drawing the brain map comes in ease and awareness.

And then pause again.

Notice your breathing and the ground beneath you.

And then in your own time play with alternating these movements.

The hand goes forward and comes back.

The leg glides forward and comes back.

Could you find a rhythm for yourself?

Do the head and neck want to move as well?

What wants to happen organically as you alternate your hand and arm on this side?

Keeping it slow and quiet and simple.

Breathing feeling the roundness of your body.

Notice you go forward and back with arm and leg.

How you're rolling on the ground.

And when you're ready take a full rest on your back.

Notice your connection to the ground,

Your quality of mind,

Your quality of breathing.

Let whatever wants to emerge be there.

Changes in our nervous system and our movement emerge in their own time and in their own patterns.

Imagine as you rest that the ground is moving toward you.

Does that idea help you to let go more into the ground?

There's a good deal of unnecessary holding that we do.

But until we become aware of it we don't know how to let go of it.

And rest some more.

Drifts are important and especially for integration of this kind of work.

Breathing Are there any differences that you notice between the left and right side?

And can you describe them to yourself if they're present for you?

And then when you're ready come to roll on your left side.

Again respect your limits.

If you can only engage on one side right now respect that and trust that your brain will know how to work with the information because it does.

Draw up your knees on this side.

Adjust your head support as needed and listen through yourself on this side.

How is it similar to lying on the other side?

How is it different?

There may be very obvious differences and then there may be very subtle differences.

This is what's important to pay attention to.

Pay attention to what's actually there in this moment.

And breathing.

Take time for your breath to even out on this side.

Listen and sense into your breathing.

And if you have to take breaks more often than I call them,

Again pause the audio and do what you need to do to take care of yourself.

Extend the arms away from the body and now glide the right palm away from the left.

The hands stay connected and then glide the palm back.

The arm is straight but not locked,

Not bending at the elbow.

The arm remains straight and glide back and forth in a similar way to the other side.

Slowly and mindfully listening for how your shape changes on the floor and sensing your in and out breath.

And begin to glide the hand away from you and then begin to glide the arm closer into you.

Closer to your torso just as you did on the other side.

Do this movement in a simple way five or six more times and sensing when your neck and head may want to come along.

Where in your torso do you have to yield in order for the arm to lengthen and also draw back toward you without bending in the elbow.

Listen for how you roll on the ground.

Listen for how the head and neck may want to come into the movement on this side.

And when you're ready take a pause.

And now bring your right knee into the movement of gliding it forward and back just as you did on the other side in a simple quiet way.

Be aware of how your pelvis and spine are gently invited into the movement.

You don't have to make anything happen.

And be aware of how your shape changes on the floor as you glide your right knee forward and then back to where you started and then closer to your torso.

Play with this three or four or five more times.

Breathing remaining soft through the throat and jaw and eyes and face.

And when you're ready take a rest on your back.

Breathing being aware of the support that's always there.

And notice again are there any differences between the two sides and how you're making contact with the ground.

Has it changed since you began the session?

And gently come back to lying on your left side organized as you were before and your head support just like you needed.

And now alternate the hand gliding forward and back toward the torso.

Arm remains straight but not locked.

And then the knee glides forward.

Do one and then the other.

Go slowly and wait for your arm to pause before you begin moving your leg and vice versa.

Allow pauses between your movements.

It's tempting to rush these simple movements but when we rush we override our sensitivity to ourselves and that's what we really want to surface in this work.

This work is about deepening a sensitivity toward ourselves.

Deepening the conversation between mind,

Body and heart.

It allows us to move through the world in a more congruent way.

Navigating in this way is nourishing to us and those around us.

So take your time alternating arm and leg.

Breathing and continuously being aware of the ground that's beneath you.

Perhaps a few more times if you're up for it.

And when you've had enough please rest on your back.

And come back to listening for your breathing,

Your connection to the ground and your quality of mind.

And when you're ready find a simple way to come up to sitting or standing.

Take your time.

Allow all that somatic goodness to soak in as you step into your day or prepare for your night.

Take your time.

And thank you.

That's the end of this session.