Expression Practice

Hello, and thank you again for being here. This is our expression practice. So once we found foundation and core, then true authentic expression is possible. These practices have a tendency to be more spiritual in nature, more simple, even just a little bit softer. So I want to introduce you to Callie Snyder, who's here with us.

You can watch her as we move and listen to my voice as I give the cueing and instruction. Thank you so much. So we're going to begin this with a breath practice, and it's a breath practice that has become near and dear to my heart since I learned it many, many years ago. So we're going to do it together, and then at a point, I'm going to pause. We'll pause together, and I'll give you just a little bit more explanation.

But first, we'll be in the process of doing this together. So please rest your hands palm up. Your elbows are softly bent, and the back of the hands are simply resting toward the knees. And then take a big, deep breath in. And first, just exhale it out through your mouth and relax your jaw.

Now you're welcome to close your eyes, or if closing the eyes doesn't feel comfortable for you, just bring your focus and awareness inside. And then as you next inhale, please raise your right arm. So the palm is going to come toward your face. The elbow is softly bent, and you're raising the arm till the shoulder and the elbow are in the same line. With your next exhale, take your right hand, bring it to your left shoulder, turn your head to gently look over your right shoulder.

Inhale, we're coming back to where we just were. The head turns back toward the center. And then as you exhale, lower your chin to your chest as you lower the arm. And now we'll do the left side. Inhale, you raise the left arm, the palm is toward your face, elbow and shoulder in line.

Connecting breath and movement. Exhale, left hand to right shoulder, stretching the neck, gently turn your head left. Inhale, back to the previous position, head turns back to center. And then exhale, lower the chin to the chest as you lower the arm. Now this time we're going to bring a little suspension retention of the breath.

Inhale, raise the right arm, palm towards your face. Now very gently hold the breath in. Exhale, right hand goes to left shoulder, gently turn your head right. Very gently hold the breath out. Inhale, back to the previous position, head turns back to center, hold the breath in.

Exhale, lower the chin to the chest as you lower the arm. Gently hold the breath out without gripping. Inhale, raise the left arm. Now pause your breath. Exhale, connect the breath to movement.

Left hand to right shoulder, turn the head, pause the breath. Inhale, back to the previous position, gently hold the breath in. Exhale, lower the chin to the chest as you lower the arm. Gently hold the breath out. Good.

Now gently lift your chin, let your breath come back to automatic easy breathing. So after learning this and doing this for a number of years, one day I have to realize that this breath practice synced perfectly with the serenity prayer, which has been a prayer that didn't really, wasn't originated by 12 step program, however, it's been a tool and something that's been so useful in 12 step recovery for many, many, many years. And this breath practice syncs perfectly with that. So please join me. You'll silently say the serenity prayer to yourself as we engage in these movements.

So as you next inhale, raising the right arm, we silently say to ourselves, God grant me the serenity. And now as you exhale, this is to accept the things I cannot change. Inhale the courage to change the things that I can and exhale. This is the wisdom to know the difference. And on the left side, inhale, God grant me the serenity.

Exhale to accept the things I cannot change. Inhale the courage to change the things that I can and exhale the wisdom to know the difference. Good. Now, simply with your eyes closed, just lift your chin and for a moment, just pause here and contemplate the serenity prayer. Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.

There's certain things that I simply cannot change. The courage to change the things that I can, recognizing that most of the time that has to do with my perception or attitude and the wisdom to know the difference. And so now begin to transition to line with your back down on the mat, bring your hands down beside your body, rest your palms up and then bring them both your knees, bringing your feet to the floor, the knees up toward the ceiling. Now, your feet are separated about hip bone distance apart, not too far, not too close. Just about hip bone distance apart.

And then as you next inhale, please press your feet into the floor, lifting your bottom off the mat. So we're coming to a modified, a rolling bridge here. And then exhale, slowly roll down, piece by piece, by piece, by piece, one vertebra at a time. Inhale, press and lift. Inhale slowly roll down, piece by piece, by piece, by piece.

Now this time as you inhale, press and lift, also raise your right arm up and overhead, connecting breath with movement until the back of the hand reaches toward the floor. And then exhale, rolling back down, that right arm comes back down with you. And as you lower, gently turn your head to the left. Inhale press and lift, this time the left arm reaches up and overhead, the head turns back to center. Inhale slowly with breath and movement matching, lowering, the arm comes down, the head turns toward the right.

One more time each side that way. Inhale press, lift, right arm reaches, head turns left. Exhale slowly articulating the spine back down, arm comes down with, head turns back to center. Inhale, press, lift, left arm reaches, exhale slowly roll down, everything comes back down. And now this time as you inhale press and lift both arms, reach up and overhead.

Now this time stay here as you exhale, contract those muscles below the navel, inhale lift up a little bit higher, stretch the arms back just a little bit more, beautiful. And then as you exhale slowly roll back down, everything comes down, rolling down piece by piece, by piece, by piece. And then once there just hug your knees in towards your chest, beautiful. Good and then once again bring your feet to the floor, knees back up toward the ceiling and then slowly extend your legs out long on the mat. And so now allow your right leg to move over toward the right side of the room.

And then bring your left leg over to meet the right, making sure that both your hips find the foundation of the earth beneath you, both sides of the hip press. And then as you next inhale sweep your left arm along the floor and up towards your ear. Exhale, sweep that arm back down and turn your head right as you do. And once again inhale sweep the left arm along the floor up towards your ear, exhale sweep the arm back down, turn your head right. One more time inhale sweep the arm along the floor up towards your ear.

This time stay here, stay here as you exhale, exhale completely, inhale. Now you can bring that left arm up toward the right as you do, exhale everything out of the body. Now find a complete stretch as you inhale on the whole left side of your body. Breathe here and really animate the whole left side of the body as you breathe. Feel the stretch on the complete leg.

The left side of our body of course is that one that is more feminine in its nature, more a little bit more if you will, more yin like, good. With your breath really animate that whole side of the body. And then as you next exhale sweep both arms back down by your side, walk your feet back to center, turn your head back to center and just pause and notice. And now this time take your left leg out to the left and now your right leg is going to come over to meet it, making sure you've still got that stable base, both sides of your hips pressing into the earth. And now as you next inhale you're going to sweep the right arm along the floor and up toward your ear, exhale, sweep that arm back down, turn your head toward the left.

And again inhale, sweep that arm along the floor and up toward your ear. Exhaling sweep it back down, turn the head left. Inhale sweep that arm along the floor and up toward your ear, beautiful. Stay here and exhale, contract all those muscles below your navel, inhale, now you can sweep that left arm all the way up if you choose. Stay here, exhale, inhale find the stretch on the whole right side of your body.

Stay here take about three long, slow, deep, beautiful breath, really animating the whole right side of the body. Right now with your next exhale sweep both arms back down, you'll walk your feet back to center, turn your head back to center. And now as you next inhale raise both the arms up and overhead, beautiful. And now interlace your hands, turn the palms out. And as you next exhale simply bend the elbows slightly, allow your body to soften.

And now inhale a big stretch, stretch the arms, stretch from your fingertips down to your toes. Let's do that again, exhale soften the elbows, allow the body to soften, the lower back melts into the floor. And now inhale find that stretch fingertips to toes, one more time exhale soften the elbows, inhale feel the extension of your whole spine, beautiful now releasing the hands, exhale bring the hands all the way back down and by your side, take a moment pause here and notice, just notice, again you might notice body, energy, and mind. Notice the current state of the body, the energy, and the mind. And then as you're ready hug your knees in toward your chest, beautiful word.

Great, now please bring your right ankle over your left knee, right ankle over knee, lift your left foot up off the floor, wrap your arms around your left thigh or shin. So this is like the number four stretch, could flex both your feet, push out on the heels that protects your knee joint, take a big deep breath in as you do lengthen through your whole spine, and then as you exhale bend your elbows so that that left thigh comes in closer towards your chest, and from the right hip let the right knee extend forward. Notice that the source of the action is at the hip. Good, now with every exhale just see what's possible, just surrender into that posture just a little bit more, beautiful, and now release your arms. They're going to come out wall to wall like you're making that letter T, palm up just a little bit below shoulder level, cross thigh over thigh, this one's going to be right over left thigh over thigh, big deep breath in lengthen through your whole spine, and then as you exhale let the knees fall to the left.

Very gently turn your head to the right, good, several deep breaths, now again here just use those lower abdominal muscles, allow them to support you to let the hips begin to stack directly on top of each other. Great, now once again here you just might, just maybe turn your head from side to side very gently, great, and then as you're ready just let that go, and with your next exhale bring everything back to center, release the cross of the legs, hug the knees in towards your chest, and now this time the left ankle's going to cross over the right knee, the right foot lifts off the floor, wrap your arms around the right thigh or shin, flex both feet, push out on the heels, big deep breath in lengthen through your spine, exhale gently allow that right thigh to move in closer towards your chest as from the hip, that left knee extends a little further forward, and then take several long, slow, deep, sensuous breaths right here, and with every exhale just see what's possible to surrender in just a little bit more. And then reach your arms out to the side once again like you're making the letter T, cross thigh over thigh, this time it's going to be left over right, big deep breath in lengthen through your whole spine, exhale this time the knees will fall toward the right, gently turn your head left, again several deep breaths really engage in those lower abdominal muscles with that exhale as we gently work to move the hips directly on top of each other. And then one more time here you just might want to try practicing saying no, remembering again that no is a complete sentence, I don't need to justify, argue, defend, or explain, sometimes the answer is simply no and it's the best thing for me and my self-care, beautiful let that go and as you next exhale engage those lower abdominal muscles bringing the knees back to center, release the cross of the legs and hug your knees in towards your chest, beautiful. Now bring both your feet to the floor, knees are up toward the ceiling and then separate your feet until they're about the width of the matter part, let your feet be about the width of the matter part, good now once again bring your arms out to the side as if you're making the letter T, now with your next exhale take both your knees toward the right side of the room, inhale bring everything back to center, exhale take the knees toward the left, inhale come on back to center and again exhale right, inhale center, exhale left, and inhale center, now once once you exhale take the knees toward the right, now this time just breathing here and as a possibility just maybe you might want to take your right ankle and bring it just above that left knee cap just to deepen this just a little bit and breathe, breathe, good and as you breathe with every exhale just see if there's a little bit of deepening, a little bit of softening, now before rising release that ankle from above the knee and then with your next inhale come on back to center, exhale take the knees over toward the left, now again here just as an exploration maybe you might want to take that left ankle bring it right above the right knee cap wherever you are here breathe and then before coming up release the ankle from on top of the knee, inhale come on back to center and then hug both your knees once again in towards your chest, you might want to take your hands on top of their respective knees right hand on right knee left hand on left and simply circle your knees, make the circles as big or small as feels really good to you in this moment and then when you're ready reverse the direction of the circles and then one more time hug your knees in towards your chest and then one leg at a time extend your legs out long on the mat separating the feet about the width of the mat apart again let your feet just drop open bring the hands down beside the body turning the palms up again as that little symbol to the universe that says in this moment here I am I'm open for healing in this moment I'm open for support I'm open for transformation I'm open for change and then let go let go completely let go absolutely just let go and then gently begin to bring the awareness back to the breath start to very gently deepen the breathing and then gently begin to wiggle the fingers and the toes slowly begin to move the arms and legs from side to side and then as you're ready reach the arms again up and overhead get a good stretch from your fingertips all the way down to your toes and then once more bend the knees hug them in towards your chest slowly roll to the side take a moment and just breathe here just rest it's here I love to remind myself that I'm in the womb of the divine and then with the top hand down to the floor press into that hand to help lift you back up to a seated position finding your sits most rooted and grounded sense of foundation sense of core the crown of the head lifted up toward the sky take a big deep breath in exhale it out through your mouth and relax the jaw good now we're going to do the exact same breath practice that we did in the beginning with the serenity prayer so bring your hands again palm up the back of the hands are gently resting toward the knees the crown of the head lifted up towards sky and as you next inhale raise your right arm this is elbow is bent God grant me the serenity connect breath and movement right hand to left shoulder turn the head right this is to accept the things that cannot change come back to center where we just were the courage to change the things that I can exhale lower the chin to the chest as you lower the arm the wisdom to know the difference let's do the left side inhale raise the chin raise the arm God grant me the serenity exhale to accept the things I cannot change inhale the courage to change the things that I can exhaling and the wisdom to know the difference good keeping the eyes gently closed or focused inward gently lift your chin and again just one more time here contemplate the serenity prayer God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things that I can and the wisdom to know the difference and now please bring your hands back to your heart center and prayer hands so we take a moment here as always to notice notice now the current state of the physical body notice the current state of the energy notice the current state of the mind and then consciously come back to that sense of connection with something bigger to gratitude to intention and to service with me please take another big deep breath in and as you exhale gently let your chin fall towards your chest your head towards your heart and then as you next inhale please open the eyes and lift up the head namaste the light in me honors that in you