day 8 - 25 Days of wellness
Hi there! I’ve seen a couple of people I follow do Advent calendars for various things - 1000 Hours Outside has one for outdoor family activities, and Nutritious Movement has one for movement to create a “butt for the holidays” haha. So good.
So here we go - I’m going to drop a little post each day on a little Wellness tidbit for you to consider. Enjoy!
DAY 8 - The Cycle
Now that you understand the importance of REST and are making some time for it, here is a 5 minute exercise you can do to create a restful state.
Did you know that every part of your hands and fingers correspond to a different part of your body? Some people even map each finger out to a different emotion. Amazing!
To do this exercise we are going to take advantage of that fact to 1) gently stimulate and rebalance our nervous system, as we 2) keep track of how many times we ask a certain Constructive Question!
This exercise is called The Cycle(TM) and was created by certified Alexander Technique teacher Mio Morales (Primal AlexanderTM). I learned and practiced it with Jennifer Roig-Francoli (The Art of Freedom) as well as directly by Mio Morales at a “how to teach it” seminar.
Starting with the thumb of either hand (let’s say LEFT for the example), gently hold onto it with the fingers of your RIGHT hand. Now you are going to count to 4 while asking the question with each number. Here’s how it works.
As you hold onto your thumb, ask out loud:
Where in my body do I notice a little bit of ease?
Where in my body do I notice a little bit of ease?
Where in my body do I notice a little bit of ease?
Where in my body do I notice a little bit of ease?
Now repeat this with each finger and then repeat on the RIGHT hand, gently holding each finger with the LEFT hand as you say the numbers and questions out loud.
Don’t worry too much about the answer. If an answer comes to mind, that’s great. If an answer doesn’t come to mind, that’s great too. Just observe what happens in your body as you complete The CycleTM.
Let me know when you’ve tried it!
See you on Day 8!
