Hey friend,
It's Susan.
Welcome to the mindful whole body movement and breath,
Sunflower and starfish.
Our practice today will connect long,
Slow,
Full breaths with whole body movement.
Not only will this engage and lengthen your muscles and connective tissue,
It will connect you with sensation and to what your body needs right now.
Synchronizing the breath and movement also offers a point of concentration that relaxes the nervous system and quiets a busy mind.
This practice can be done on the floor or on a bed,
Anywhere you can lie down comfortably with your arms and legs long and wide.
Body responds best and the nervous system relaxes when we breathe both in and out through the nose.
If you're congested or if that doesn't feel right to you,
Breathe in a way that feels good.
We'll go through a round of sunflower then starfish,
Then end with sunflower and rest.
If you're doing this as a warm up before yoga or another physical practice,
You can just do the first round of sunflower then starfish and then move into your practice.
Ready to begin?
Find your way to a comfortable lying down position with your arms and legs long and away from your body.
Allow your palms to face up with soft fingers and your feet relaxed.
You can experiment with how far apart your legs are and whether your arms are down by your sides or spread out in a T or up in a V on the floor.
First,
Feel your body on the floor.
Notice the sensation of weight,
Temperature and texture on your skin.
Notice if you have any strong sensations,
Any mild ones,
Any places of numbness or disconnection.
It's all fine.
Just notice.
Now take a long,
Slow,
Deep breath in through your nose for the count of five and release the breath fully and slowly through your nose to the count of five.
The count doesn't matter as much as the even length of inhale and exhale.
Inhale through your nose and exhale through your nose.
As you inhale long and slow,
Open your hands like two sunflowers opening to the sun.
As you exhale fully and completely,
Close your hands softly into gentle fists.
Breathe in and open your hands.
Breathe out and close your hands.
In and open.
Out and close.
Breathe in and see if you can come to the top of your breath just as your hands are their widest.
Breathe out and let your hands nestle into fists just as your breath comes to the bottom.
In and out.
Open and close.
The next time you inhale,
Stretch your whole body out like a sunflower.
Hands spread and reach,
Toes spread and legs lengthen.
Imagine soaking up as much sun as you can and then as you exhale,
Draw your body in.
Knees draw into your chest,
Arms wrap around,
Head can even come up to your knees.
Keep the long slow even breath flowing.
Inhale and open your whole body.
Exhale and fold in.
Inhale reach out and stretch everything.
Exhale draw everything into a tight bud.
Take your time.
Keep the breaths even.
Inhale through your nose,
Extend out.
Exhale through your nose and draw in.
A couple more times at your own pace.
Sensing sensation as you move and breathe.
Connecting body and breath.
Awareness and sensation.
Right here,
Right now.
The next time you inhale,
Extend out onto the floor again.
Take a couple of long slow deep even breaths and notice how your body feels.
Pause.
Keep breathing through your nose.
Notice strong sensation.
Notice subtle sensation.
Notice numbness.
Notice what you notice.
Now let's move to the starfish practice.
Starting here in the extended position with the backs of your hands on the floor,
Arms long in any direction,
Legs long.
Take a long slow deep inhale through your nose and press down into the floor with your heels,
The backs of your hands and the back of your head.
Keep pressing down with your starfish arms as long as you are inhaling.
Then as you exhale slowly roll to your right side drawing your knees and arms in so at the end of your exhale you're on your side in a ball.
Then inhale and sit up as smoothly and slowly as you can ending with your legs out wide with knees straight or bent and arms extending up to the sky.
Exhale and slowly,
Slowly roll down onto your back one vertebra at a time.
Inhaling through your nose until you are back in the starfish position at the bottom of your breath.
Again inhale and press down with heels,
Backs of hands,
Back of your head like suckers on a starfish.
Inhale and press.
Exhale and roll down,
Roll to the left side and draw into a ball on your left side and squeeze all the air out.
Then inhale and sit up smooth and slow to a wide legged seat,
Knees straight or bent,
Whatever allows your spine to be long,
Arms up and wide.
At the end of your inhale breathe out slow and smooth through your nose and roll yourself with ease and control down to the floor again one vertebra at a time.
Inhale press with heels,
Hands,
Head.
Exhale roll right and squeeze in.
Inhale sit up and extend legs wide,
Arms out.
Exhale roll down slowly using your belly muscles to lower each vertebra down.
Inhale press with heels,
Hands,
Head.
Exhale roll left and squeeze,
Inhale sit up,
Extend,
Legs wide,
Arms long.
Exhale slow roll down smooth and steady.
Inhale press heels,
Hands,
And head noticing the whole body engaged.
Exhale roll right and feel the shift inward gathering yourself in.
Inhale slowly sit up and unfurl yourself long in all directions.
Exhale easy roll down reaching your arms forward as you go like someone is lowering you onto the floor.
Exhale in starfish press down heels,
Hands,
And head turning on your whole body like you're plugging in.
Exhale roll left and feel yourself connect in.
Inhale sit up smooth and steady as you extend out.
Exhale easy roll down reaching your arms forward for support.
Do one more on your right side.
Inhale press down,
Exhale roll right,
Inhale sit up,
Exhale lower down.
Inhale press into the floor,
Exhale roll left and tuck.
Inhale sit up wide and long,
Exhale lower with ease and control.
Now pause here in an easy starfish.
Check in with your body,
Sense the floor underneath you.
Sense your clothes and the temperature of the air.
Notice sensation inside and outside your body.
Now let's close the practice with a couple of sunflowers.
Exhale and extend your whole body as long and wide as you can.
Soak up the sun and at the top of your inhale pause and hold the position.
Hold the breath for a couple of seconds.
Then exhale and slowly in sync with your breath draw everything in towards center.
Knees in,
Arms in,
Head in,
Squeeze all the air out and hold for a second or two.
Then inhale and extend,
Reach,
Reach wide and long.
At the top of the inhale pause and hold,
Hold.
Then exhale slowly and squeeze your whole body into a ball.
Release everything in and hold,
Hold,
Hold and then release.
Release your body into any easy position on the floor.
You may want to go back to starfish or rest on your side or any position that feels comfortable.
Check in with your body,
Check in with your breath.
Notice what you notice.
Friend you have just engaged all of you.
Muscles and bones,
Connective tissue and joints,
Breath and awareness,
Body and mind.
Make this practice out with you into whatever is next for you today.
Thank you for practicing with me.
My name is Susan.
Please leave a comment or question at the end so we can connect.
I look forward to next time.
Until then,
Breathe deep,
Shine bright and show up.
