Day 12: Stretch Your Body and Mind

Hi, I'm Chloe Freytag with Get Healthy U TV. In today's meditation, we're exploring movement through our meditation. So meditation gets a stigma that it's just sitting down and being quiet, and while it can be that, there were so many other areas of meditation that we can explore. And if you're like me and sitting still for long periods of time gets you a little antsy, adding movement can be the perfect tool for you. It helps increase circulation through your body, through your brain, brings in some good energy, and helps you to cultivate that calm state of being that we're working towards in meditation.

So join me in a comfortable seat. If you wanna do cross-legged, or any position that works for you, elevating the hips, you've got your neutral pelvis, lifting your spine up nice and tall, right on top of that seat, hands rest into your comfortable position. And then you can choose to either close your eyes down or to softly gaze towards the floor. We'll open our meditation today with three long deep breaths, in through the nose and out through the mouth. And if you'd like to join me using the arms when you inhale, you can reach the arms up, and you can exhale, sweep the arms down, clearing your energy in the process.

So let's do that three times together. Big inhale in, exhale, arm sweep, clearing away all stress, inhale deeply, exhale, let it go. Last time, inhale, open those lungs up, exhale out the mouth, hands return to resting comfortably. Find your natural breath. Seeing how slow and deep you can take that breathing, being conscious with your breath.

So the key to making our movements a meditation is that coordination between breath and body. So the movements we'll include today will attach onto the breath, will work with the breath, so that we're still conscious of our breathing as we move, and we feel that connection between our breath and our body. And as always, you can feel free to just sit still with the breath today if that works better for you. If you'd like to try the movement with me, we can start with a gentle twist, your eyes can stay closed or downcast, as our movements will be repetitive, so you don't have to look up to follow along. As you inhale, you can reach your arms up overhead, getting a little stretch, exhale, take your left hand to your right knee, and just gently twice the spine, gazing back.

Inhale, you come back through the center, exhale, twisting the opposite way. Flowing like that at your own pace. Inhale, arms reach up, exhale, you find that gentle twist. Inhale, arms reach, exhaling, opposite hand to opposite knee, little list. Keep moving at your own pace with your breath, using that inhale to lift the arms, the exhale to gently twist.

Keep your eyes closed or softly gazing down, staying in that meditative space as you include more circulation through your body, through this movement. You can go slow or fast, you can choose the pace, but just ensure that the movement is coordinated with the breath. So the inhales, the arms up, the exhale is your gentle twist. Keep going a few more times. On your way back through the center, inhale, reach the arms up, opening the lungs, and then exhale, rest the hands back comfortably on the knees.

Take a moment to pause in the stillness. See how you can potentially feel that circulation, that energy moving through your body as you sit still, feeling the positive effects of that simple, subtle movement, taking a few long deep breaths at your pace. Beginning your right leg out to the side, just kind of gently open it up in a comfortable way, and we'll begin flowing side to side, so your right hand, you reach towards your knee, shin or ankle. Inhale, reach your left arm up a little, gentle opening through the side. Exhale, you come through the center.

Let that left-hand fall to the floor, inhale right arm opens. Just a gentle stretch. Doesn't have to be to be deep, exhale, center. Flowing like that, inhale as you come over to the side, exhale, move the body to the center, inhale, opposite side, exhaling, center again. I stay closed or downcast.

Move with your breath. Stay very present with that breath, letting that be what invites the movement. So the movement stays conscious, meditative, connected, bringing you in deeper connection with your body, promoting positive energy from within, continuing at your pace with your breath. Eye stay closed or softly gazing down, so you stay within, you stay connected to that inner space. As you move in, breathe a few more times back and forth.

And you can slowly find your way back through the center, and close that right leg back into a cross-legged pose, sitting up tall for a couple breaths. Again, noticing how that movement has an effect on your mind, on your body. Sometimes when we move, it helps us also to feel a little bit more energized, more focused and alert in our meditation, noticing the effect this has had on you. We'll move onto the left leg. So same thing, just gently release it open.

It doesn't have to be in this nice, big position. It can be very, very comfortable here. Left-hand reaching towards the knee, shin or ankle, inhale, right arm up, little stretch, exhale through the center, inhale opposite direction, and exhale, center. Keep your eyes closed. Stay with that inner space.

Stay with your breath, your pace, connecting to you. Meditation is an opportunity for you to get deeper in touch with yourself, developing deeper awareness of your body of your breath. So just enjoy that connection, move at your pace. Stay very conscious through these movements. It can be small.

They can be slow. But you're very aware of your body, of your breath and how the two are working together. Continuing to keep those eyes soft, face relaxed, jaw relaxed, just flow a few more times back and forth. And when you're finished, let your hands come back to the sensor. Return that left leg into a comfortable cross-legged pose, or any sitting position that feels good or you, sitting up nice and tall.

Just taking a pause to connect to your breath. Feeling that positive energy flowing from within as a result of that simple movement. We can start to interlace our hands and gently place them behind the head with the elbows open. You can inhale, kind of stretch up and back, get a little opening on your chest, and then exhale, elbows come by the ears as you pull the head gently and around the spine, releasing tension in the neck. Again, inhale, you'll open just a soft, little stretch, exhale, curling.

Again flow like this a few times at your own pace. Eyes stay closed or softly gazing down. Using this movement to open your hearts, open your lungs, Last few times, move with your breath, your pace. And gently, you can come back through the center, release the hands down. We'll close this meditation with one long deep breath together.

Feel free to bring your arms up with me on the inhale, and press the palms together at the heart center on the exhale, inhale, reach it up. Pause for a moment as the hands pressed together, and then exhale through the mouth. Let those hands fall into heart center. Finding some gratitude from within your hearts for whatever it is that comes to mind today. Maybe a person, situation.

Any blessing you have, just take a moment to give thanks. And as you feel ready, let the hands fall back to the knees. Gently blink the eyes forward. Great job meditating with us today. We'll see you tomorrow.