1. Lie on your back on a mat with a headrest, the body relaxed and the knees hip-width apart.
2. Relax the eyes and the facial muscles, breathing in and out.
3. Notice how you breathe in and out. Does your belly rise and fall as you breathe in (inhale) and out (exhale)?
4. Take the attention to the centre of the back of the hip where the spine starts.
5. Sense each vertebrate in the spine, up the shoulders till the ribs, travelling out the spine.
6. Create space in your spine as you breathe in. Inhale and let the energy travel up and down the spine as you continue breathing. Do this a few times.
7. Feel the energy travelling down through the legs.
8. Imagine you are zipping up a jacket and allow your torso to hold and come up the front of the body. This consists of the spine and ribcage and lets go. Feel that sensation and energy in and through your spine and up the front of the body. Relax the torso.
9. Let the energy line through the shoulders, elbows and hands. Give your weight into gravity; release any other tension in the body.
10. Soften your ribs as you spine is in neutral position. Let your sacrum spread out under the mat. Let your pelvis structure feel heavy and sink into the floor.
11. Bring awareness under the knees and lower legs. Let your thighs hang downwards. Feel the support of the knees and the muscles.
12. Let the femur thighbones to fall into the hip joint. Do not use any effort. You can imagine a waterfall picture.
13. Keep releasing tension and relax at the same time.
14. Sense the fluid passing through your joints and keep breathing.
15. Imagine the waterfall image letting energy fall from your knees to the shins and the feet. Spread your feet outwards, ensure there is no tension in your toes and arch of your feet.
16. Conduct a body scan in your mind. Release tension and keep breathing on a cellular level in your body.
17. Keep breathing, releasing tension and relaxing. Sense the new energy in and through your body.
18. Rest here for a few moments. Roll to one side and gently sit up to a comfortable position.
This exercise can be carried out daily at whatever time you desire. I found this exercise to be relaxing and a form of emotional release and letting go of tension in my body. My body becomes balance and return to its natural alignment. I feel lighter and happier after completing this exercise. This is a good exercise after a long stressful day or even after substantial dance training where muscles are tensed, strained and stretched. One can access the state of their body, wellbeing and a form of tension releasing and relaxation. Attention is brought to breathing and the muscles in the body feel longer, extended and tension-free.
Reference:
Jo Ann Jones (2013) Constructive Rest Position. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRDJlYQJSZM&index=43&list=WL [Accessed 2 May 2015].
2. Relax the eyes and the facial muscles, breathing in and out.
3. Notice how you breathe in and out. Does your belly rise and fall as you breathe in (inhale) and out (exhale)?
4. Take the attention to the centre of the back of the hip where the spine starts.
5. Sense each vertebrate in the spine, up the shoulders till the ribs, travelling out the spine.
6. Create space in your spine as you breathe in. Inhale and let the energy travel up and down the spine as you continue breathing. Do this a few times.
7. Feel the energy travelling down through the legs.
8. Imagine you are zipping up a jacket and allow your torso to hold and come up the front of the body. This consists of the spine and ribcage and lets go. Feel that sensation and energy in and through your spine and up the front of the body. Relax the torso.
9. Let the energy line through the shoulders, elbows and hands. Give your weight into gravity; release any other tension in the body.
10. Soften your ribs as you spine is in neutral position. Let your sacrum spread out under the mat. Let your pelvis structure feel heavy and sink into the floor.
11. Bring awareness under the knees and lower legs. Let your thighs hang downwards. Feel the support of the knees and the muscles.
12. Let the femur thighbones to fall into the hip joint. Do not use any effort. You can imagine a waterfall picture.
13. Keep releasing tension and relax at the same time.
14. Sense the fluid passing through your joints and keep breathing.
15. Imagine the waterfall image letting energy fall from your knees to the shins and the feet. Spread your feet outwards, ensure there is no tension in your toes and arch of your feet.
16. Conduct a body scan in your mind. Release tension and keep breathing on a cellular level in your body.
17. Keep breathing, releasing tension and relaxing. Sense the new energy in and through your body.
18. Rest here for a few moments. Roll to one side and gently sit up to a comfortable position.
This exercise can be carried out daily at whatever time you desire. I found this exercise to be relaxing and a form of emotional release and letting go of tension in my body. My body becomes balance and return to its natural alignment. I feel lighter and happier after completing this exercise. This is a good exercise after a long stressful day or even after substantial dance training where muscles are tensed, strained and stretched. One can access the state of their body, wellbeing and a form of tension releasing and relaxation. Attention is brought to breathing and the muscles in the body feel longer, extended and tension-free.
Reference:
Jo Ann Jones (2013) Constructive Rest Position. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRDJlYQJSZM&index=43&list=WL [Accessed 2 May 2015].