The human body is a magical thing – with its own natural intelligence. But it also stores our stresses and strains – those tense shoulders house our anxieties and worries, our cricked neck homes the grief we have held, and the knees we walk around with are the space for our overwhelm. There are many mind, body, spirit teachers, such as Louise Hay, who have long described the impact of our minds on our bodies. And I’ve long been a fan of moving my body to help process things. In fact, when I was studying Yin yoga, the very basis of the practice was to move the connective tissues – the fascia – of the body in order to deal with the ‘issues stored in our tissues’. I rather liked that explanation of things!
The problem is that most of us live in our heads – and when we do that, our bodies don’t get much of a work-out. It’s so easy to spend our days worrying, thinking and planning. It’s kind of inbuilt in us, a creation of a society that celebrates logic and forward planning. But if there’s anything 2020 taught us, it’s that we can’t plan; so why do we insist on living in our heads, trying to work everything out – and in doing so, why do we neglect the homes we live in as humans? Why do we ignore our bodies? And, what if we could move our bodies in order to release any pent-up emotions and become more self-aware, curious, and enquiring, in order to get to know ourselves a little bit deeper, and transform those dark, shadowy emotions?
It’s so important that we move, because as we do move our bodies, we leave the realm of our minds and begin to be more human. Not only does movement help our low mood, anxiety, and stress, leaving us feeling more grounded and at peace, but it helps us become more intuitive and tune in a little deeper into our wisdom. And the best news? Well, of course, we can supercharge our movement practices with essential oils, to really help us get back into our bodies. After the year we have had with Covid, it’s definitely a calling deeper into fully reconnecting to ourselves and stopping all the negative feels. Movement really can help!
If you’re thinking ‘well, that’s great, but I can’t dance’ – do not fear. Movement practices are not only varied, but can be totally and utterly intuitive, though it’s often a call to be a little wilder if movement is new to you! We’ve got some Aromatherapy recipes that will help you begin this practice at home as you head online for a yoga class (thanks for the innovation, 2020!) or even just carve out some time by yourself and move as you feel called to. So, what can you try?
Yin Yoga
Often just noticing what is happening in our minds is powerful enough to stop our anxieties, worries and overwhelm in its tracks. But, having a powerful container for ourselves to allow emotions to bubble up, and see that we can hold them – for things such as grief, for example, – can be so useful, and that’s where yin yoga comes in as a movement practice.
For those of you who desire to be a little structured and supported in your first experience of movement practice, why not try some yoga? If you’re seeking to get out of your head and into your body, any yoga will do, but yin yoga is specifically tailored so that we hold our poses for around 5 minutes – and this is purposeful as it stretches our fascia – the connective tissues of our body – and allows our minds to really learn the art of self-enquiry whilst sinking deliciously into our bodies. Holding a difficult pose for a long time helps us notice what is going on in our minds during times of challenge and learn that we are resilient enough to cope with anything – even physical challenges. As we stay in the pose, we begin to notice the patterns of our minds, connecting deeper to the power of our body, as we stretch out our tense areas, often releasing trapped emotions. And we learn; we are able to hold these emotions. We also notice the areas that feel good, which we might not have placed our attention on before. Yin is a powerful movement practice for self-enquiry and moving the issues in our tissues!
Yummy Yin Massage Blend
There are so many oils that super-charge a yin practice such as this; in particular oils that will help us to get into our bodies and out of our heads include grounding oils like Bergamot, Patchouli, Cedarwood, Cypress, Clary Sage, Sandalwood and Myrrh.
Before you begin this practice, create a beautiful essential oil blend, and use it to massage all over your body for a full immersion into this practice.
Mix 3 drops Patchouli, 2 drops Bergamot and 1 drop Sandalwood into 15ml Sweet Almond Oil and massage it into your body in the direction towards your heart. Cover yourself, let it absorb, and then try the below movement practice.
Yummy Yin Practice
If you’re not into a full class (there are plenty free ones online), you can do a quick dive into yin yoga, you can start with two gentle postures – firstly, sit on the floor, with your legs out in front of you, and prop lots of pillows on your legs, and fold forward over them. Taking yourself to your soft edge of discomfort (you shouldn’t have any sharp, shooting, or stinging pains in one area you can point to or this is too far), hold this pose for about 3 minutes, noticing:
- What is my mind telling me about this pose?
- Can I notice this as thought?
- If I am noticing the thoughts, and I am the observer of them, then who am I?
- Where does my body feel alive and comfortable?
After 3 minutes, lie back and absorb the residue of holding this pose. What feels different?
Next, pile some pillows up on top of each other and lie down with your shoulders over the pillows, so that you are lying with your heart slightly raised to the sky and your arms open out to the side (with your head supported either on the floor or a cushion). Lie here for 5 minutes, asking yourself the same questions as above. What do you notice?
Body-Led Movement
Now, yin yoga won’t tickle everyone’s fancy – it might be a little slow and steady if you’re wanting fast-paced movement – and so there are other movement practices that will allow you to fully tune in to your own needs. Body-led movement practice is all about intuitively moving your body as it desires to be moved, simply by tuning in and listening deeper. You might find it wants to be gentle and still, and so you move in a quiet way – or you may find you long to move vigorously and strongly, intentionally, and so you follow that.
This practice allows you to begin listening to your body, to really tune into your own wisdom and intuition. And you can start small and build up – even doing this practice alone in the comfort of your own privacy. It might feel a little odd if you’re not used to either moving or listening to yourself, but you can’t get it ‘wrong’ because it is moving to the tune of your own beat. And it’s not ‘dancing’ per se – there’s no right and wrong technique; just move to your soft edges again, as with the yin.
Body-Led Movement Diffuser Blend
Body-led movement is all about intuition – so essential oils that help you listen to your own wisdom will be really helpful here. Oils like Angelica Root, Frankincense, Lavender, Rose Geranium and Yarrow will help strengthen intuition to empower a body-led practice.
Mix 5 drops Rose Geranium, 2 drops Yarrow and 1 drop Angelica Root and diffuse 10 minutes prior to starting as well as during your body-led practice!
Body Led Movement Practice
This practice can be done however you like; it is your own container for intuitive flow. However, if you want a little structure, my suggestion is to carve out some space for yourself to be alone and set this practice up by laying out a yoga mat as a container for your movement, and then begin on all fours on your hands and knees.
You might pop some music on and close your eyes. As you tune into the sounds, also tune into your body. Where does it want to move? How speedily does it want to move? Where can you move some tension through? Where can you breathe into that feels tight? Begin to move as you desire – perhaps following some cat/cow yoga movements by simply arching the spine up and down through each vertebra, moving gently and allowing yourself to listen to your own needs. Gradually allow yourself to go free form. What do you notice as you practice? What can you learn? Where can you let go of your emotions and fears? Even if you come to your mat and lie still, this can teach you something. Allow yourself to be intuitive and see where this movement takes you – out of your head and into your body.
Meditative Walking
For others of you, dancing or flowing through poses might be too much. It might feel odd, you might feel physically incapable or emotionally unavailable for these practices; but don’t worry, there’s a practice for you, too. Mindful, meditative walking in nature is another movement practice that can drop us out of our heads and into our hearts and bodies, having just the same effect of dropping us from anxiety.
Mindful Walking Pulse Point Blend
Mindfulness is key to this particular practice; being free to notice and become present in our bodies is key to getting us out of our heads and can be so useful when we are suffering things like anxiety, low mood, or stress. Oils that support mindfulness include Frankincense, Neroli, Myrrh, Clary Sage, Vetiver and Ylang Ylang.
Mix 1 drop Neroli and 1 drop Myrrh in 10ml Grapeseed oil in a rollette bottle and take it out on your walk. As you walk, roll it on all your pulse points and keep inhaling its scent, reminding yourself to come back to the present moment.
Mindful Walking Practice
This practice is quite simple; you simply set off on a nature walk – or you can also do this in your garden with your eyes closed if you feel comfortable enough to know your surroundings. The key is, as part of this practice, you should mindfully become aware of every single step you take. Caress the ground with your feet as though you are kissing the earth with your toes, your arches, and your heel. Walk as far as you like but make it meditative. As you flow, notice what sensations arise within your body; where do you feel tense and tight, where can you let go of that? Where do you feel alive? Where do you feel calm? Notice, and keep moving, allowing yourself to let go of all that is unwanted.
At the end of your walk, stand still and absorb the residue of the practice. What have you let go of? Where are you feeling less anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed? Celebrate your body’s gifts.
Overall, however you move, the keys to falling of your head, and back into your body revolve around moving our bodies in more grounded, intuitive, and mindful ways. Whatever movement you are doing, using these principles will help you come back to yourself, helping you feel less ‘thinky’ and feel more of what is going on in your body. The aim is to raise present awareness, so that you can intentionally feel your way through life.
My prescription? Move – and repeat daily! Enjoy!