Salt Spring Centre of Yoga News

Letting the Body Speak

fall activity

As the leaves begin to fall from the trees and the days become shorter, there is the natural tendency to become a bit more introspective. At a moment like this, you may enjoy exploring this activity from our book The Salt Spring Experience. It is called “Letting The Body Speak”.

TYPE OF ACTIVITY: SELF-DISCOVERY, MOVEMENT
Letting the Body Speak is a tool fo self-discovery. Listening to your body helps you get in touch with feelings you don’t know you have. It can be especially helpful when you feel a need for self-expression and don’t know what you want to express.

Each time you do this exercise you’ll find that your listening skills grow. Your body will tell you more, and you’ll go deeper into your experience of yourself.

What You Need

  • A quiet, private place with room to more

How To Do It

  1. Lie on your back on the floor. Quiet your mind, let the demands of the day fall away, and allow yourself to relax.
  2. Begin to notice what you’re feeling physically in your body. Where is your weight on the floor? Is here any tension in your body? What else do you notice? Don’t try to fix anything, just notice.
  3. Ask yourself if there is some movement your body wants to make. Is it a stretch? Do you want to curl up in a ball? Maybe just a foot wants to move or maybe just your arm. First imagine the movement and then allow your body to move the way it wants.
  4. When you’re ready, return to stillness, lying on your back. Notice how the movement has changed you. How is your weight on the floor now? Has the tension in your body changed? What else do you notice?
  5. Continue to do this, alternating movement and stillness. Each time, ask how your body wants to move. First imagine the movement and then allow the movement in your body. Your movements may be very small or you may end up standing, crouching or on all fours.
  6. Each time you come back to stillness, notice how you’re changed by the movement you made. Where is the tension? Where are you relaxed? Are you warm or cool? Is any part of you tingling? What part of your body is drawing your attention the most?