Shaking it out

Shaking it out. This track is for when the body is holding tension and sitting still is not going to shift it. About thirty seconds of shaking, then stillness. Skip any part of the body that is injured or sore. If you feel dizzy at any point, stop, and sit down.

Stand up, feet about hip width apart, knees soft.

Start with the hands. Shake them loosely, as if flicking off water.

Let it move up into the arms. Shake the arms, loose at the elbows and the shoulders.

Now the legs. Shake one leg, then the other. Hold a wall or a chair if you need to.

Now the whole body. Hands, arms, legs, a bounce in the knees. Let it be untidy. Keep going.

Keep going. Let the jaw loosen. You can breathe out with a sound if you like.

Now slow it down, over a few seconds, and stop.

Stand still. Feel the tingling in the hands, the warmth, the heart going a little faster. Let the arms hang.

Breathe out, long and slow.

Again.

Notice the body now, compared with before. Looser in some places, perhaps, the same in others.

One more breath out. Then sit, or carry on with the day.