Bear's Blog

Ah, MOVEMENT - this week's Corona Care Kit topic. We feel confined right now, but don’t let your body suffer! Movement supports all aspects of our physical health – circulatory and respiratory, muscular and skeletal (use it or lose it!), endocrine and nervous (sleep! reverse the fight/flight response!) and especially immunity. The lymph fluid cleans up cellular debris from antibodies fighting invaders, and then moves it out of the system. The problem is, it doesn’t have a “pump” to move it like the heart does for the blood. You have to physically MOVE your body to move the lymph fluid.

Beyond the body, movement supports mental health, reduces stress, increases focus, memory and energy levels.

I’m sharing my daily movement practice. Depending on your Energy Signature you will have a different relationship with “exercise.” A Priest reluctantly engages (or not!) because it’s “good” for you. It is imperative for a Royal to burn off excess surface energy and why their “leisure“ is often athletic.  A Gardener may have a lot of physical activity, but doesn’t stretch and engage different muscle groups.
 
I got into the routine of nightly exercise/stretching early on in life. As an adolescent it was critical, since I was put in a body brace for scoliosis. I had a physical therapist named Jane who was over 6’ tall, and fearsome! I had to demonstrate progress for her or else... I also found I could “cheat” on time out of the brace if I doubled down on my exercises. Later I got into yoga and new movement modalities like Contact Improv, 5 Rhythms and Continuum (I now teach Continuum Movement in all my Advanced classes.) Recently I discovered the Egoscue Method through my chiropractor - subtle exercises that help keep you mobile and pain–free.

The first “Rite” happens to open the chakras, but you don’t really need to know anything about that for it to be helpful! Here is a link to a good overview and instruction.
 
I want to add that it says to do each Rite 21x, but that is the maximum you should do. The book advises to start with 3 repetitions, adding 3 more each week until you get to 21. I only do 3 or 6 of each. Also, just do each move to the extent that it’s comfortable.
 
The other part of my daily routine is walking an hour. It’s a great break from working, sitting, and the built environment – literally a breath of fresh air. And I get to notice little changes in the natural world every day, sensing the world instead of thinking about it.
 
So here’s to whatever gets you going! Feel free to share your preferred way to move; try the Tibetans and let me know what you think.

Bear