I invite you to take a few easy breaths and see if you can notice your ribs expanding in all directions.....

See if you can notice your heartbeat....many ways to try this: connecting with arteries in your neck, touching a wrist, and you may have other methods for becoming aware of your own heartbeat...sometimes if I am quiet enough, I can sense my heartbeat around my eyes.

Allowing the breath to be present, start a few easy circles with your upper body.  No right or wrong way to approach this idea with a goal of enlivening our upper bodies, relaxing muscles, bringing blood flow...Circles one way and then the other - head, shoulders, upper back - any body parts that feel good.

Then find some space where you can reach out and connect with a wall near you - perhaps reaching out your hand to connect solidly with the wall in front of you.  Then turn away and start to twist to see behind you while staying connected to the wall.  You may feel a stretch in your shoulder, upper chest and yes, perhaps a gentle opening of your heart. Inhale - and as you exhale see if you can twist even a millimeter further around, but always staying in the comfortable zoom.  When you're ready, slowly untwist, release and shake it all out if that feels good.  Before trying the other side, notice if you can feel a difference on the side we just worked with?  You might feel some additional warmth, flexibility, kind of a buzzy sensation, or maybe no change at all.  Super important to be gentle though and allow the tissues to soften in a gentle way.

When you are ready try the other side......Connect, Inhale, Twist, Release and Shake...

After trying this practice, I like to find an area where I can move freely and stretch, swipe, toss, and paint the air around me in a freestyle way.....Swing, bounce, carve and enjoy the potential of a new range of motion, new possibilities both physically and metaphorically by opening our hearts for a deeper connection with ourselves, each other and our environments - opening our hearts toward possibility a little bit more each day.

Take Care...

This Take Care Card was inspired by Kristy Kuhn.  Copyright @Gina Gibney Dance, Inc. All rights reserved.