Balance: a movement lesson

This is fun for all
and especially useful for people who are getting older,
who have fallen, or been in an accident,
or had a stroke,
and wish to improve their balance.

There will be one today,
and another tomorrow.


One:
Stand near a wall, about a foot and a half away,
( You can adjust this)
and putting your hands on the wall,
and then
bow a bit forward
so that you can press the top of your head into the wall

Rest here a bit
and feel the weight of you going up from your feet
through your spine
through your skull
into the wall

After you are comfortable,
begin to shit your weight from your right foot
to your left foot
back and forth,

Rest

Now shift your weight left and right
Very slowly
with a lot of pleasure and attention
and

as you shift to the right,
raise your left heel and rotate your left foot to the right
and
rotate your pelvis to the right,
and
rotate your head to the right, so your nose is pointing to the right.

and as you come back
bring your head to the middle
and both feet on the ground

and as you go to the left
raise your right heel
and rotate that foot and hip to the left
and rotate your nose and head to the left

if you can do this with your arms dangling down,
fine

if you need to keep your hands on the wall steadying you
that's fine too

many times,
at least 12
as many as you like

go for each time feeling slightly different
and each time more awareness of a new part of
yourself
and each time
a deeper sense of ease and pleasure

rest, but slowly using your hands to stand upright,
and walking around a bit


TWO;
You are going to do everything you did in the more
complicated version,
except that your head is going to go
the opposite way of the rotation of your hips
that is happening from the weight shift
and raising your heel

so:
rotate your pelvis to the left
by raising your right heel
and rotating your hip and leg to the left,
and
as you do this
(slow, slow, slow, slowly, slowly)
take your head and nose to the right

and easily slowly gently reversing this
so that as your pelvis goes to the right
with your left heel raising, and your left leg and hip rotating,
your head goes to the left

this won't be easy
and
if you go slowly enough
with enough attention,
will profoundly reorganize your nervous system
to balance far better in gravity

rest as above,
coming off the wall and walking around


THREE:

This is a fuller version of the second part of ONE

with your right hand on the wall, and your right hand dangling down,
and the top of your head on the wall,
rotate to the right by lifting your left heel,
rotating your hip,
turning your nose and head to the right,
and this time
the nose and eyes will be following the loose right hand, and arm,
which will rotate up to shoulder height to the right

then reversing down and the other way:
the hand will come down
and up to the left
the right heel will raise
the hips and leg will rotate to the left
as the head and nose and eyes follow your hand

back and forth
many times,
slowly
gently
pleasurably
with ease and
breathing
and discovery
and grace

rest as before by walking around

FOUR:
The same as above with the other arm
as the pendulum that goes side to side
followed by your eyes and nose

enjoy this,
really
slowly
completely
easily
slowly
gently

breathe
breathe
breathe

Take it easy for 10-30 minutes after and let this integrate

Naps and walks are the best integration
Good