Movement as Medicine

There are many ways to heal. There are infinite paths to wholeness and regeneration. This 10-day offering is an invitation to explore if movement is supportive to you at this time and in these ways. Our hope is that by exploring an approach to the body that encourages embodied presence, you are able to sense the ways that energy leaks out causing depletion and exhaustion, which over time can be challenging mentally, physically, and emotionally. Here, in the exercise below, we will explore how a few simple minutes of movement can support you in energizing yourself to meet what is present in your day today. This approach to resilience building honors the sacredness of our life force. Our life force is our life. It’s the energy to do the things we need and want to do. Our hope is that this movement can be a medicine for you to reconnect with the life force inside you.

LET’S MOVE TOGETHER

Let's do an experiment to see if movement feels like medicine for you today. For the next 30 seconds, shake your right hand in a way that feels just right for today. Nourish yourself with breath and notice any subtle changes in your energy as they happen. Then stop. Gently hold both hands in front of you as if you were holding a ball. Take a moment to notice the sensations in your right hand. Then, shift your awareness to the feeling in your left hand. How do your right and left hands feel different?

Next, we'll apply that same idea to activate each part of your body and how movement can be like medicine for you today. Some days you may do this more gently, others more vigorously. Practice staying with your body’s resonance as you shake.

Let this be simple. Turn on your current favorite song and shake each part of your body about 10-15 seconds for each part.

The sequence I often follow:

Right leg
Left leg
Both legs (standing and/or laying down shaking legs in the air)
Hips
Belly
Heart
Shoulders
Arms and hands
Whole body

Shake along with me in this video!

WATCH

REFLECT ON DAY ONE

REFLECTION 1: When can you imagine using shaking in your daily life to connect with your body?

REFLECTION 2: How else could you call on movement as medicine in your daily life?