Landing in the body
A reflective walkthrough on landing in the body
As I walk into the studio, my bag goes down, my jacket comes off, my watch is removed, and my headphones go into their case. Shoes are always set aside. Socks are always pending; comfort and warmth may need to be prolonged. I make my way into the centre, hand to the floor, then the elbow, then the shoulder and the rest of the body follows as I soften into a starfish. Surrendering to gravity and yielding to the ground. This push from gravity encourages release; any holding drops as I guide my breath around my body, discovering points that could soften a little more. Shoulders, hands and or feet, the extremities flop to their respective sides. I melt and spread outwards like butter on a hot pan. There is a distinction between lying on the ground and giving weight to it. The difference is the conscious action of releasing. Once I feel carried and held, I inhale deeply; my stomach expands like a balloon, and a ripple echoes through my body. Sparks fly in areas that still need to be awoken and released. Signals, sparks, flickers. These sensations inform me that my body is responding to the process. A conversation begins.
Breathing begins intentionally, deeply and fully. This rhythm mellows into a peaceful cadence as my focus shifts from the outside world to the inner landscape. I allow myself to be here until an impulse to move presents itself.
My body's choice is how long I lay here, and I cherish that moment of waiting, listening, and responding. While I listen and continue to fall, I run a scan, moving awareness from the crown of my head to the soles of my feet. I'm looking out for aches, discomforts, and sensitive spots. Visualisation supports this process of discovery and helps me gain perspective. My intention isn't to change these areas but to become aware of them. Therefore, I keep my position and direct my breathing towards these points; I will attend to them later. This moment in the grounding serves as an essential check-in, a conversation with the self about how I am today.
Intuition informs me when my body is ready to move. I gently invite small movements to awaken my body, starting from the outer edges. I move my fingers first; stiff from their stillness, they move in irregular patterns. As the joints awaken, they shift between a firm push and a light press. I engage my palms; this activates more fluidity, encouraging the hands to open and close and inviting my wrists to fold and rotate. This is mirrored in my feet, synchronising with the movement. Leading into a generous stretch, my limbs stretch outward, then fold in, creating an egg shape with an element of nurture. Hugging knees to chest. When I fold back out, I fall back into the starfish, though this time, I have a sense of direction and intention. These initial flickers of energy return and ignite sparks through the limbs, bringing alertness to the joints and even the surface of my skin. I can feel 'the fuzz' melting away, creating a feeling of openness. I move in response to this new energy, shifting, folding, rotating, and moving in satisfying ways. Catering to my body's needs.
What was first a feeling of falling has transformed into a moment of vitality as I become conscious of the awoken body and its intricate details. I might roll over onto my stomach, my palms find the ground, and I adjust how I distribute my weight, allowing pressure to re-enter my experience. I engage in the dance of pushing against something, which invariably supports my alertness. I arrive at a crouching, small and contained. I remain here, playing with the image of a tree stump. Rooted. My feet hop from side to side through the gap in my arms. With a generous push, I shift this force from my hands into my feet. Back to my hands, and my heels come off the floor. I return to my feet, and my arms hang over my knees. I play with this rocking and finish with my feet firmly on the ground. From here, I gradually make my way to standing, folding over my knees, hanging my head, dropping my tailbone, and rolling up my back one vertebrae at a time. When fully standing, eyes closed, I take another deep breath through the nose and exhale out the mouth. One more body scan, another deep breath, shake it out, and I arrive on landing.
Ready for what's next.
