Every morning I wake up, see my husband off to work then go do my practice. In the past I had a very rigid practice doing the same thing in the same sequence every morning. DER, Sun salutations, breathing exercises (same ones everyday), journal, meditate. It worked for me in that moment and time.
Lately I have been letting my body and my intuition be the guide.
This morning I started with the Daily Energy Routine- as I do every morning. That is the only thing that does remain the same, AND that is because it is how my body likes to begin. I do believe getting your energy synced and getting grounded helps with the rest of the practice. So when I got done I asked, “what’s next?” I felt the sudden urge to do one of the energy exercises. I lifted my hands high, breathing deeply in, then swinging my arms toward the ground bending my knees as I exhaled my breath through an open mouth. Sometimes my exhales would have a lot of force, sometimes a gentle blow. I continued to do this over and over until my body told me it was time to quit. Then I immediately sat on the floor. I felt the energy moving in my body, it was amazing! I also felt that I was not done and wanted/needed to continue. So I inhaled deeply shifting forward lifting my chest up, then exhaled rounding my back. I just felt that there was energy in my body that was no longer serving me that I needed to get out. What it was....I have no clue. That is the cool part about letting it go….you don’t need to know what you are letting go of. Just that it is no longer serving you and it needs to get out of your body.
There was no reason for my body to move this way, no basis for my movements. It is just what my body wanted to do, so we did. I am not really sure how long I did these exercises for. When I was done, I just knew I was done. My body told me.
Next I started to “ohm.” I started with my first ohm and concentrated on my root chakra, then on my next ohm I moved my concentration up to my second chakra, I continued moving upward on my chakras. This morning I noticed the sound of my ohm was beautiful, rich sounding, magnificent, just noticed- did not judge. When I got to the throat chakra, I started crying. It was this deep gut-wrenching cry. Tears were running down my face. I am not sure why, and I don’t need to know why, it just is. I sat there with tears running down my face, feeling the sadness, not knowing why, just feeling it, feeling it fully. Then as suddenly as it came, it was gone. I finished up with my 6th and 7th chakra, noticing that the tone was different.
I then felt the need to “clean out” my chakras. So sitting in easy pose with my fingers in chin mudra I concentrated on my first and second chakra, breathing in through my nose for the count of five expanding the first two chakras, exhaling through my nose for the count of five contracting the first two chakras. I did this 3 times then moved to the 3rd and 4th chakra, then the 5th and 6th- expanding and contracting. Then I ran my energy up and down my spine three times. I then ohm’d again concentrating on each chakra, one at a time again. Then I felt complete, done.
Not sure why I moved the way I moved. It was not planned, it was not thought out. There were no rigid rules, no “I have to do this or I have to do that.” No expectations, no attachments, no pomp and circumstance. Obviously there was some stuff suck that my body wanted to get out. My body wanted it to move. I love having many practice options to choose from, then listening to my body....doing what my body wants/ needs to do. NOT questioning, not wondering if I’m doing it right, not wondering how I look. Just doing it, just believing/ knowing it is right. It is right for me at that moment and time. Knowing tomorrow will be different OR maybe the same, you never know. Following naturally, being guided to do what is right for me.
As I write that, my body asks me to stop, stop and reflect. How do I feel? Is whatever it was gone? I hear, not yet. More tears, more letting go of old emotions. Tuning in, honoring myself, honoring my beautiful body, honoring what I am feeling. Noticing, feeling and letting go of what no longer serves me.
-Chelle