anxiety, and undoing anxiety

we get anxious sometimes
afraid
we want to get smaller
( hide)

curl up in a ball,
clench everything together,

pull in, in,
as if returning to the fetal
curled up
place

we hunch over,
we pull our bellies in
chin down,
clench jaw

all that stuff

we stop breathing

it's not a good feeling after a
short time,

but, what is there to do?

well,
I teach a three level response to
stress/
anxiety/
fear

and let's just play here
with the body path to
transforming this:

here's the deal:

start by making it worse:

pull in tighter,
really

crunch way way in,
tighten everything you can,
hold your breath
and then go the other way,

unfurl

and
don't make the unfurling better,
though it might feel better

sense them both:
the curling in
and the opening up

and what does that mean:

here we go, a movement lesson:


Sit in a chair,
forward, so your back is not leaning back

curl forward
which means,

lower your chin toward your belly
roll your pelvis back and tuck your tailbone under you
slump your sternum

pull in your belly
tighten your jaw, your eyes, your fists,

pull your fists in tight,
toward your belly
tighten your asshole

get all crunched
in

and stay there a bit

sense this shape,
this feeling

then,
go the other way,

let your belly loose and forward
arch your back
raise your sternum

lift your head a little ( not too much)
relax your jaw and fingers

let your hands raise up over your head
let your arms widen a little
let your mouth open a bit
twist a little to the left one time, and then
after crunching again,
twist a little to the right

don't get fast

go slowly

at the most expanded,
hang out there
and sense what that is like

go back and forth through eight or ten crunches

and get more and more into feeling the transition both ways
and feeling deeply the end point

experience your breathing

enjoy the differences

enjoy the shift in your mood
cheers
Chris

Side lying, flexion and extension, all in the same game

Lie on your right side, Have a pillow under your head

and a small pillow between your knees.

Have your knees pointing forward

which is the direction your chest is pointing

take it easy

let your left arm be straight out from your shoulder

on the floor

1. Practice flexion,

which is the rounding of your back,

by the contracting of your stomach muscles

Bring your stomach in

and your left elbow down toward

your left knee

which comes up toward it

then come back to the starting position

do this many times

not far

not trying to reach the knee with the elbow

rest

2. Practice flexion with your knee moving forward

so that you bring your knee forward

with your knee coming up toward your face

as it moves forward away from your chest

as you round your back

and pull your stomach in

and push your middle back backward

and then come back

many times

aware

ease

pleasure

rest

Practice flexion with your arm moving forward

and slightly down

forward and down

stomach in

back rounding

and then come back

many times

aware

ease

pleasure

rest

3 Do both together

Knee forward and a bit up

Hand forward and a bit down

stomach in

back rounding

and then come back

many times

aware

ease

pleasure

rest

4. Extension

(always lengthens the body)

As per yesterday,

Move your hand forward and up

arch your back

and pushing out your belly

and then come back

many times

aware

ease

pleasure

rest

And as per two days ago

bring the knee forward and down a bit

push the belly out

and arch the back

and then come back

many times

aware

ease

pleasure

rest

5. Combine these two movements

so the arch of your back is

sending your hand forward and up

and your knee

forward and down

and then come back

many times

aware

ease

pleasure

rest

6. Let's go backward, just in extension

Bring your left shoulder back and up a bit

pushing out your belly

and arching your back

and then come back

many times

aware

ease

pleasure

rest

Now, bring your left hip back and down a bit

pushing out your belly 

and arching your back

and then come back

many times

aware

ease

pleasure

rest

7. Now, a fun project,

both ways are going to be in extension

Move your hand forward and up

push your belly out

and bring your hip back and down

(those are the same, back arching and belly coming forward)arching your back

return to neutral

and then go into extension

and keep going so that 

your shoulder comes back and up

as your belly pushes out

and your knee goes down and forward

as your back arches 

go back and forth,

arching each way

and then relaxing in neutral

and then arching again as the shoulder 

and hip

move in opposite directions

go slowly

if you don't "get it"

go slower

and play around with some variation

you feel in your body

any movement with awareness

is

good

you are 

good

life is good