Clench the teeth lightly a time or two to locate the masseter muscle, feeling it’s activation. Using fingers or knuckles, gently massage this muscle, allowing the jaw to release into gravity and the breath to expand and deepen. Remember to bring the hands up to the jaw, rather than shortening the neck to bring the […]
Category: Practice & Play
Use the fingers of one hand to locate the center of the muscle on the top of your opposite shoulder. Give this point some comfortable pressure with your finger tips. If you’d like more pressure, you can hang onto the elbow using your other hand. Send your head away from this pressure point as you […]
Anchor the collarbones and sternum firmly with the hands. Send the chin forward and away from this anchor point, tilting the face upward toward the sky. Make gentle arcs with the chin as you allow the breath to arrive and depart on its own. Continue by sending the lips in the same direction as the […]
Interlace the fingers and place the hands on the back of the head–not on the neck, but on the skull. Slowly allow the elbows and shoulders to release into gravity, providing gentle traction to the back of the neck and upper back. Allow breath as you soften into this shape. Bend the knees slightly and […]
The first arc encourages the spine to lengthen from side to side. Continue to breathe as you soften, lengthen, and release into this shape. For the second arc, turn the face toward the underarm, making contact between the finger pads and the occipital ridge on the back of the skull. Continue to lengthen the spine […]
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Side Arc
Reach up and over the top of the head with one hand, making light contact with the opposite side of your skull. Using the finger pads, lightly guide the head upward and towards the elbow, lengthening the spine in a gentle side arc. Release the jaw so that the mouth can open. The other forearm […]
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Dynamic Alignment
As you initiate a yawn, allow the tongue to release forward in the mouth rather than moving back. Feel for a gentle, spacious stretch between the opening throat gesture of the yawn and the forward release of the tongue. When you’re finished, try to take your work with you into the next thing you do.
Extend the tongue forward past the lips, moving slowly, smoothly, and gently. Once your tongue is extended, bring your attention to your breath and any excess effort you may be feeling in the tongue or throat. Can you allow this excess effort to fall away? Try this exercise a few times in a row, aiming […]
Use your tongue to massage the inside of your lips in slow, smooth circles. Allow your breath to continue, unmanaged. As you work, imagine that you are creating more space or a gentler contact between the lips and the teeth. Allow the lips to feel soft and mobile. When you’re finished, try to take your […]