core support in action

I am so grateful that I have been able to take a Real Break™ this summer. I hope that you all have been able to too. You know what I mean by Real Break: when you step away from your computer, from work, let go and enjoy the earth, the air, the trees, the natural world, our source, our sustenance. 

Here is an image from my trip to my home place in northern California. This is Pt. Reyes National Seashore, where I am most at ease…

If you want a REAL Real Break, check out this Embodying Nature Eco-somatic Retreat at beautiful Shantigar in Massachusetts with my esteemed colleague Jamie McHugh.

And, if your August is already full, check out my upcoming Cranial Nerve Sequencing Course. I’ve expanded it to a luxurious 12 weeks and we start on September 12.

This week’s video is literally about getting down onto the ground and then getting back up again safely. This is something that you might take for granted until you can’t do it. It’s a movement that people start to get scared of as they get older. 

There are a ton of videos on YouTube about how to get up off the ground safely, but many are very stiff and unpleasant! 

That pains me, because safety does not have to be stiff and unpleasant. Mobility should feel good, period.

I’ve had many physical and emotional wounds to heal in my life…and it seems like a new one opens up every day. I’ve used the floor to make space for that, to release into support, invite ease and compassion for the pain, to say yes to joy, yes to pleasure, yes to suffering. 

So I am completely unashamed to make a simple video which is “just” about the mechanics of getting up off the ground safely… but is really about so much more. The ground itself has been the most important resource in all of that healing! 

I implore you to spend some time there. Every client I’ve worked with has learned how to do it, and learned to develop their own practice there.

This week’s video is part of a longer series about activating core support with rotation in various ways to create more ease and safety – and pleasure.

Every joint in our body is composed of round surfaces and designed to flex, extend, rotate and spiral. When we try to “squarify” joints to try and stay safe, I think we start to get more and more frightened because we’ve got a lot of holding to do to prevent those round joints from moving.

I’ve done a whole series of videos about this motion because I think it’s so important. In particular, I recommend lying face down because it is the safest position your body can be in and is deeply relaxing. 4 minutes in prone is worth 20 in sitting meditation – for me.

Rigidity, holding, and stiffness result in instability and fear. That’s not what you want to practice when you are hurting.

Just remember that the whole point is to spend time on the floor and enjoy it!

Giving yourself 15 minutes a day on the floor can do miraculous things for you, especially if you start your day that way. I’ve healed shoulder injuries, broken hearts, and replaced hips with its grace.