John the artist/ real one in Sonoma
Sit on a firm chair or rock or log. Turn to the right and then again to the left. Several times and notice the differences.
Now, turn to the right several times in the normal “try to do more” way, where you sort of crank on your neck and pull yourself farther to the right. Do this several times, see how far you go and what the quality of your turning is, and then rest.
Now, sit at the front edge of your chair and look to the left a few times, with as little effort as possible, only going about 80% of your “limit.” Go one time to the left, even less than this 80% and stay facing that way. Now rock back and forth from one side of your pelvis to the other, feeling our weight shift from your right “sit bone” to the left and back and forth. Go slowly and enjoy this. If you can let your head tilt the opposite way of which “sit bone” you have your weight on, even better. Lots of times with ease.
Then rest. Turn a bit to the left again, rock to your left side and stabilize yourself with your left hand on the chair beside and behind you. With your right hand, hold your right hip and let the right hip and right knee come forward and back to neutral a number of times, letting this move your head a bit to the left as it goes.
Feel and enjoy this in yourself. Notice ribs, spine, pelvis, foot, knee, as much as possible. Many times, each time learning.
Then rest, back in the middle. Feel how you are sitting in the chair. See if you feel different. Even if you can’t tell differences, just breathe and let your brain integrate any learning that has taken place.
Now come to the front of the chair again. Put your right hand on your right thigh and look to the left with your head and your pelvis, with the right hand pushing that knee a bit forward as you rotate to the left. Do this a few times, and then stop to the left but well back from your “limit.” Here, simply turn your head right and left, feeling how your weight is to the left and your head is pivoting on top of your torso. Make this nice and easy.
Come back to the center and rest.
Now come to the front edge of your chair, put your right hand again on your right thigh, and take your left hand across yourself and hold the right side of your ribs. Turn to the left with pelvis and head, and stay something less than your limit. Now gently pull your ribs to the left, so your torso is rotating to the left easily and then back. Many times gently.
Rest.
Do all the last movement, but now get fancier, as your ribs pull to the left, let your head go to the right, and as your ribs come back, turn your head to the left. Very gentle and slow on this. Do each time as if an experiment inside, you are your own research project. Feel what you feel. Try to learn something each time. Notice if the pelvis wants to go with the head, or the ribs, or changes around, or doesn’t want to move. Just notice. Then sometimes bring the pelvis and the ribs to the left and right at the same time as the head goes opposite.
Rest.
Extra credit homework: Go through the above movement with pelvis one way, ribs the other, and head opposite the ribs, so it is going the same way as the pelvis.
After your rest, put right hand again on your right thigh, and left hand at right ribs (you can try different locations up and down your ribs). Turn to the left with your pelvis and ribs and head, and stay there. From here, gently turn your eyes right and left, while everything else stays fixed. Then, keep your eyes fixed on a spot just in front of your face, and slowly, slowly, slowly, turn your nose right and left.
Come back to the center and rest.
One final wonderful movement before simply checking the new difference between right and left rotation. Here, sit at the front of your chair, and put the palm of your left hand on your belly and the back of your right hand behind your lower back. If you can’t reach there, go as close as you very comfortably can. In this position, rotate to the left, and stay there. And facing this new way, arch and round your back. In rounding your head comes down and forward, and your left hand pulls your belly in and you sort of “slump” and rock back on your pelvis a bit. In arching, you raise your head to vertical (not more), and puff out your chest a little, and push your belly forward with the back of your right hand pressing against your back. As you arch, you shift your weight to the forward edge of your pelvis.
Back and forth, rounding and arching, easy and enjoyably.
Then rest in the center. Feel how you feel. If you feel taller, lighter, younger.
Then turn easily to the right, and easily to the left and compare the two.
Enjoy.
Get up and walk around and see if you feel taller and lighter and younger, and if one foot and side seems more “organized” and “alive” and “how you really want to be.”
Good.
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