3 body-based practices for finding your calm
How is life treating you?
With everything going on in the world, I feel that there has never been a better time to go back to basics in my practice - breath, mindfulness, simplicity - and my students seem to be feeling the same way.
Following on from the 3 breathing practices for calm, here are 3 body-based practices for feeling calm and grounded …
1. Integrate mind, body and breath with mindful movement.
Practice a repetitive, mindful movement that follows your natural breath (rather than the breath following your movement).
Ideally, let the beginning of each movement lag behind the beginning of each breath, as if your movements are slow to follow your breath.
Try it for yourself and notice if there’s a more meditative quality to moving in this way. You can use something as simple as raising your arms up and down, or you can use this as a slow, meditative way to practice something like Sun Salutes.
This way of practising increases our sense of embodiment, which can be incredibly useful when our minds are too restless to sit and meditate.
I personally find this really helpful in slowing down and feeling more present when my mind feels scatty or overwhelmed.
2. Release your psoas musculature
Your psoas muscles live in your pelvic region helping to connect your lower back to your upper thighs and are part of our protection mechanisms. The psoas interact with your body’s muscular supports for deep, healthy diaphragmatic breathing, essential for feeling calm.
If we’re startled, stressed or feel unsafe, the psoas want to help us contract up into a defensive ball, protecting our organs. If we hold our breath, the psoas might even forget to relax and lengthen again
If we stretch out our psoas when there’s tension there, it’s quite likely the tightness and tension will return, as the stretching doesn’t change the fact that your psoas are trying to protect you. This is why I favour slow, non-effortful deep release in a position of rest, with a focus on slow, long exhalations. (It’s also helpful to really get to know your psoas, which we do in the Find Your Calm half-day retreat or in private sessions).
Here’s a psoas release practice we use often in our classes…
Lie on the floor, knees bent. Make sure your head isn’t tipping back, because if your chin is tipping up and your neck shortened, that can cause tension in your lower back and hips.
Be aware of your body breathing unhurriedly, and aware of any movement of your belly as your body breathes.
If it’s comfortable and practical, you can draw one knee in towards you, perhaps resting your hands around the leg, but this isn’t essential. You can also place a stack of folded blankets, cushions, or anything handy under your foot . Make it easy on yourself, because you need your shoulders and neck to be relaxed in this pose, too.
Slide your opposite foot slowly away from you until you’ve lengthened your leg as much as you can. This doesn’t come easily if there’s a lot of tightness, so be patient and just let the leg straighten as far as is comfortable, with no strain on the lower back. If the leg happens to have lengthened out comfortably, you’ll benefit from also letting it roll outwards so that the foot is resting more on its outer heel, or outer edge.
Now comes the most important part - let everything soften. Be as relaxed as possible in your arms, shoulders, neck and jaw, as well as that lengthened leg. Let your exhalations lengthen as much as possible. Imagine the back of your body getting softer and heavier with each exhalation, as if sinking through floor. It’s a good idea to count down each exhalation – try counting from 20 to zero.
Once you reach zero, slide your lengthened leg back to centre, and return to your starting position with the soles of your feet on the ground. Notice your breath, and notice how you feel. Then try the same steps on the other side.
It’s very common to have one side of the Psoas Releaser where the long leg does not release toward the ground anywhere near as easily. You can start counting down your exhalations from 26 or 25 on this side to start to bring back balance.
Afterward, rest with your knees bent and your hands placed on your belly. Notice any movement of your belly expanding under your hands as your body breathes in, and your belly lowering as your body breathes out. This breath movement may more expansive, and smoother after the Psoas Release. Notice any other awareness of your breath or your body that comes up.
It can also feel good to widen the feet on the floor, knees still bent, and gently rock the legs from side to side, swiveling in the hip joints.
3. Viparita Karani, or “Legs up” pose
This is my favourite yoga pose of all time. It always leaves me feeling restored and relaxed, and the effects have become deeper and more immediate the more I’ve used it. It seems to quickly become a favourite of my students too. Everyone enjoys their own personal favourite way of setting it up - some people prefer their legs up a wall, while others find it better to have their legs resting in a chair.
Put a Yoga bolster (or similarly shaped firm cushions, pillows or folded blankets) under your sacrum and lower back.
If you’re using a wall, you do not need to be too close to the wall, and it’s ok to let your knees bend a little. Ideally you should feel like you can lean your heels into the wall and just relax your legs.
Many people feel much more relaxed with their calves in a chair seat or on a sofa instead of straight up a wall. You might prefer this version if you feel tightness in your hamstrings. If you have suffered from high blood pressure, even if medicated, definitely take this option and keep your sacrum and lower back on the floor instead of raised on a bolster.
A weighted blanket or pillow over the belly, and a soft eye pillow over the eyes may also be very relaxing.
Stay, and allow your exhalations to lengthen. 10 minutes is a good duration to fully feel the benefits, but if you’re not used to your legs being upside down or your feet get pins and needles, you might want to build up your time in the pose gradually.
I hope you enjoy these practices. I love the way they remind us that we don’t need anything complicated or difficult.
Take 10 minutes with your legs up a tree …
Or spread out into a psoas releaser on the grass …
Or simply go outside and let your arms follow your unhurried, long breath, up and down until your lungs feel revitalised, your mind refreshed and your heart full.
I hope you and your loved ones are not just surviving these times, but finding all the resources you need for steadiness, calm and good health.
