A movement for pleasure, undoing pain, and talking to both sides of our brain

We could do this lesson with pictures,
and it would be "easier" because it would all
be on one side of the brain.

Most "movement" classes, not only are watch and copy,
but also don't really require a use of mental attention that
actually increases our intelligence.

This lesson,
giving you words to translate into actions,
and giving your brain/self some challenge and non-habitual chances
for your attention,
can do a lot for your ability to move think and be
with more ease grace and pleasure
in the world.

Take advantage.

Go slow, slower, slowest.
Do the movements many times,
as if each time were new.
Look for pleasure and connections you might not
have known before.
Look for ways to make this easier and more alive for you.

So, here goes.

Get on your hands and knees.

There is a yoga thing called cat and cow.
That's our start.

A.
Begin with the regular cat and cow,
where for the cat,
you lift your back and belly towards the sky,
let your head drop,
pull your belly in,
and rotate your pelvis so your sex and nose are
going toward each other.

You might even like to breathe out in the cat phase.

Do this slowly, and stay "relaxed."

Then undo this and come to the "cow,"
which is belly down and forward toward the floor,
back arched,
head with nose up to the sky,
pelvis rotated as if the bottom of your rear end
is coming toward the back of your head.

Go back and forth between cat and cow
and then rest.

Kneel, or lie down, and put your head down,
or get up and walk around. You decide how to rest.

Now the first variation:

B.
Let your head hang down toward the Earth
the whole time.
So in cat it's like it would be anyway,
but then as you arch your back and rotate your pelvis
for cow,
keep your head loose and hanging down.

Rest after doing this ten or twenty or thirty times.
Do it "many," and so slowly it is pleasure,
and so much in awareness that is as if each time
is new.

C.
Second variation:
Your head will go the opposite of the way
it did in A, the "normal" cat and cow.

Which means:
in the cow part, when you arch your back
and tilt your pelvis so the rear end is toward your neck,
your head will travel down toward the floor,
even as if you were to look at your belly.

And in the cat part, when you round your back,
and tuck your pelvis under, you bring your head "up"
as if to look at the ceiling.

This can be confusing.
Realize that the back and head are here
going up and down in sych: head toward the ceiling when belly lifts,
head towards the floor when belly drops.

Rest.

D. Now do the "normal" cat and cow,
or A,
and in the first way:
D.1. notice what your eyes want to do,
and deliberately look up when your head is going up,
and look down when your head is going down.

Rest a bit.

D.2. Now,
continuing to do the "normal" cat and cow,
bring your eyes the opposite of your head

so in cat, head down, belly up, and eyes up

in cow, head up, belly down, and eyes down

go slowly, very slowly,
be gentle
follow your breathing
take it easy
rest if confused
go slowly and gently,
did I say that?

Rest.

E. for extra credit,
do C, where the head goes down when the belly goes down,
and up when the belly goes up,
and have your eyes go opposite your head.

Rest.

F. Do, just a few times do the "normal" cat and cow, but with almost delirious pleasure
at how sweet and easy the "normal" way has become.

Rest on your back.
Notice feelings of upgrade and feelings of relaxation.

Roll slowly to sitting and then easily come to standing
and walk around.

Again notice feels of ease (relaxation) and potency ( increased connection inside of yourself)

Good.

Not so thanksgiving, or Valentine's day, but love of life and learning, yes

This happens, doesn't it:
end of the day comes, and we just want to "flake out."

For me, it's lie on my back and read a novel.

For others TV, a DVD, a beer.

And there's always getting on the phone and jawing away.

So, what could mindfulness show us about this "tiredness" thing.

Well, for a start, we could feel and sense where specifically in our bodies
this
"tiredness' seems to be the strongest.

Right now for me, it's around my eyes and in the back of my neck.

And in the lungs, my lungs, having a bit of a trouble breathing.

So here we have three areas for me to move, and as I do,
let's see if we together can create an opening back to the joys
of
"just being alive," that is always the fruit and
the sign of being mindful.

Okay: tiredness always seems to come to the back of the neck.
And we are in the Feldy and Anat Baniel fields of learning and exploration,
which gives us the delightful option:
how to move easily and slowly and in a way that connects down deeper
into
ourself.

How about this?
Place your right hand over your head to loosely hold your left ear,
or something close to that.
And here, begin to rock side to side, so your elbow shifts where it is pointing upward
right and left.

Feel your neck move
and
your back
and
your ribs

and do please
allow one side of your pelvis to raise up
each time you bend to the side,
the hip raising Up
toward the shoulder that is moving DOWN

Just do this say seven times
count them
and feel sense notice search
enjoy a little bit different about each one.

Take an eyes closed rest.
Feel if anything has shift.

Now put the other hand, left,
over your head to the right ear, or thereabout.

Slowly shift back and forth right and left as before,
but just a few times.

Then, when you get to the right tip (right hip up, elbow as far to the right
as you and it can easily go), stay there, and rock forward and back a bit
on the left side of your pelvis, your left sit bone.

It is as if you are coming more forward with your elbow
as your belly comes in
and you shift farther back on the left sit bone
(Ishium)

Go slow. Go slowly.

As you do this, close your eyes, and feel your
ribs
and spine
and neck
and breathing.

Then side bend your elbow to your left
raising your left hip and
sitting on your right sit bone/ ishium.

From there fold and arch, feel your spine coming forward at the top and bottom with the elbow
forward part of this,
and feel your spine top and bottom coming toward each
other in the back
as you push out your belly and arch.

Do this with your eyes closed.

Rest.

See if you can put both hands slightly over your head toward the other ear and do
something like a hoola hoop
with your pelvis,
letting the elbows makes their own form of circle.

Go slow.
Go slowly.