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Interior yoga
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Starting from the pelvis…
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What is the feeling of the body,
just at this moment?
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The feeling of the legs…
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Are the legs set down,
or am I holding them?
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Feel in the hips,
in the knees, in the ankles.
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Is there anything holding on,
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and is it possible
to let go of this holding,
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so as to really let the legs go,
into the ground
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as if they melted into the ground?
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Set down the whole pelvic
and perineal region.
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What is happening in the shoulders?
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Am I holding anything in the shoulders,
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in the joints of the shoulders?
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Can I let go of this holding,
let it melt in the inside of the body?
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Pay attention to the shoulders,
how they are held,
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let the holding melt down into the pelvis.
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What is happening in the throat area,
is the throat tense,
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tight, closed?
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Open the throat,
open the back of the throat.
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Let it dilate towards the back.
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Now feel, is the whole body
more set down on the ground?
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Let the feeling sink into the ground,
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as if we were on a very soft surface.
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The feeling in the face…
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is the face breathing quietly,
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or is there tension, assertion,
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which we can allow to melt
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this tension, this assertion,
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to leave the face empty, vacant,
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without asserting anything.
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What is the feeling
of the whole body, now?
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Feel that the body breathes
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without having to do anything.
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It breathes in, breathes out.
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The body permeated by the in-breath,
by the out-breath.
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We take our time.
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We take the time to breathe out,
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we don't push, but we take the time.
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And we rest for a short moment,
after the out-breath.
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We'll let the in-breath happen by itself.
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We let it come,
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without drawing anything in.
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The in-breath unfolds the body.
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We feel the movement of the in-breath
which unfolds the body…
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in all directions, to the front,
the sides, the back.
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The feeling spreads out with the in-breath
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The interior of the body opens…
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and the out-breath returns.
We let it happen, quietly.
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Feel the diaphragm region,
what happens on the in-breath,
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how the dome of the diaphragm
becomes very wide, spreads out,
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and with the out-breath, the dome rises
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and feel that the perineum
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is linked to the movement
of the diaphragm.
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Just feel it more.
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How the out-breath is attracted,
absorbed toward the upper body
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and how the in-breath spreads and widens.
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Be careful not to force the movements,
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with the external musculature,
for example.
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Everything happens inside the body.
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It's important to start by feeling.
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Later if the feeling is clear enough
we can work with the interior muscles,
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but everything is very, very gentle.
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Nothing is tense in the jaw or the face,
or in the shoulders.
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The legs remain set down, all the time,
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the shoulders easy.
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Let the thinking mind sink down
and settle inside the pelvis.
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For a few minutes, we can keep quiet,
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stop commenting and judging,
have no opinions,
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and very simply be here and present.
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We place our thinking down in the pelvis.
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Now feel the in-breaths and the
out-breaths, especially in the pelvis,
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the whole region of the pelvis,
all of its volume,
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really move into this region, its volume.
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We deploy the whole in-breath
into the volume of the pelvis,
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to the sides, to the front, to the back,
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we fill up the pelvis with the in-breath
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and on the out-breath we bring ourselves
— without tensing — back inside.
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We absorb the perineum a bit…
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There's a slight movement which happens
inside the belly,
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as though we wanted to
reassemble the belly
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around the central axis,
toward the center, all very gently.
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On the in-breath we fill
the whole volume of the pelvis
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We can let the sensation expand, no need
to limit it to the physical body image.
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On the out-breath, we feel how everything
returns to the center of the pelvis
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like a massage of the interior belly
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which we can do
with the deep internal muscles.
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Gently, of course — without
too much force. It takes practice.
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So the pelvic region is very alive,
very aware.
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The legs melt, sink into the ground
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The ground is very soft, like thick moss.
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We sink into the ground.
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We're going to make
a movement with the arms.
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It's important to be set down,
anchored in the pelvis for this.
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The arm movement will be carried
by this very alive, very aware pelvis.
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There's almost no muscle effort needed
from the arms.
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The movement is carried by the power
of the pelvis, a living power,
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something which is
gentle at the same time.
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So now breathe into the pelvis,
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and without hurrying,
both arms full of life
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from the tips of the fingers
to the shoulders,
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we explore in front,
staying well within the pelvis.
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The life, the strength in the pelvis
is what carries the arms,
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with a minimum of effort in the arms.
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We set the arms down on the air,
parallel to the ground.
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The palms turn face to face.
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We let the shoulders move back a bit,
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while the sternum opens slightly
and advances a little.
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And the shoulders move back.
We keep the arms alive,
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arms set down on the air,
legs set down on the ground.
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We breathe between the arms,
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and the in-breath opens the arms.
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On the out-breath,
we compress the breath without resisting.
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We stay in the pelvis all the while,
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we don't lose the anchor in the pelvis.
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On the next in-breath we open a bit more,
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we can also breathe out
in the center of the pelvis.
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We continue opening.
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Let the shoulders fall.
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No tension in the jaw or in the arms.
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We open completely.
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Careful not to raise the shoulders.
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The hands very alive...
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the sensation of fingers that extend
to the walls right and left,
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two immensely long arms.
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Arms set down on the air,
legs set down on the ground.
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We can spread the fingers.
What changes?
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Open the chest,
staying anchored in the pelvis,
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breathe out into the pelvis.
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The palms turn toward the ceiling,
the fingers meet again. What changes?
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The sensation of the sky
in the palms of the hands.
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We let the hands come to the shoulders,
like two birds to their branches.
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Elbows forward, we remain in the feeling
of the pelvis, careful not to leave it.
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We let the elbows come
to meet each other in front.
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And they rise.
Feel what happens in the shoulders.
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We can free up the waist.
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Elbows toward the ceiling, to the sides…
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easy… feel where there is resistance.
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Moving further down…
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and the hands cross and
come to rest on the collarbones.
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We relax the shoulders and arms,
if there is any tension.
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Take the time to let it empty out,
flow into the ground.
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We are nicely set down into the pelvis.
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The in-breath fills
the volume of the pelvis,
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the out-breath…
in the center of the pelvis.
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The diaphragm supple,
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moving in harmony with the perineum.
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Relax the shoulders…
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and a movement from the waist.
The lumbar vertebrae stay where they are.
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We let the chest turn and face left.
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The movement takes place at the waist.
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Chest toward the left,
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we stay well in the pelvis,
we don't try and go too far.
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Right hip, right leg, well set down.
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Feel the whole body in this position.
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What changes,
with this torsion to the left?
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Feel it from the inside.
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What happens? What is the feeling?
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And we let ourselves be turned,
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as if moved back to the center
by a breeze from the left.
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A minimum of effort…
and the chest goes to the right,
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in a torsion from the waist. The sternum
and chest face right—we don't go too far.
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We take advantage of the movement
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and open the left leg,
set down the left hip and buttock.
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Breathe well into the pelvis,
still well seated.
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And a breeze from the right
brings us back to the centre
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The movement continues toward the left
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We take advantage of the movement
to let the face look to the right.
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Feel what happens in the backbone,
with this double twist.
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Now the breeze from the left returns
and moves the torso toward the right
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At the same time, the head turns back,
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the torso continues
and the head turns left.
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In one fluid movement,
feel it in the vertebrae as it flows.
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A breeze from the right, the body returns
to the center, the head too, all together.
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We let the body react,
not blocking anything.
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We let the hands slip
to the middle of the chest,
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and now towards the hips,
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and they come back to the ground,
or onto the legs.
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What is the whole-body sensation?
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The in-breath fills
the volume of the pelvis
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the out-breath returns to the center
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we bring ourselves into
the center of the pelvis
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using the internal muscles,
gently and easily,
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and we fill the volume with the in-breath.
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The legs and pelvis completely relaxed,
allowed to sink into the ground.
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Now we make a little movement
forward, with the torso.
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We're going to settle ourselves forward.
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Not towards the ground,
collapsing downward—no.
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We're going to unfold out to the front,
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keeping the legs and pelvis
well in contact with the ground.
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The hands slide delicately on the ground.
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We explore a bit forward,
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see what is possible
without pulling or straining,
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as if we were spreading out
on the ground, in front.
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We stay well aware
of the whole-body sensation,
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breathing into the pelvis,
the head aligned with the backbone,
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the shoulders at ease.
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We don't try and go too far.
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We're just setting ourselves down,
without the pelvis and legs' reacting.
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We can breathe with the back, the back of
the pelvis, the sacrum, the lumbar region.
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We can let the in-breath
open outward behind us,
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and come back with the out-breath.
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We slide a little to the left
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as though we wanted to set the chest
down on the left thigh
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—there is no obligation at all to do it.
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Let the sensation go a little to the left
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while the right hip and leg
stay on the right.
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We come back to the center.
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Now we slide to the right.
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The left leg and hip open… feel it,
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be careful not to pull.
We feel ourselves extend,
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we stretch forward,
but it's more a feeling,
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we don't pull with the shoulders.
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We come back to the center,
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Now a big beach ball
inflates under the chest,
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we let it happen.
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With a minimum of effort
we come back to the vertical,
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letting ourselves be pushed up
by the inflating ball.
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We let the body do what it wants,
we let it position itself,
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finding the vertical by itself,
without making anything happen.
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What is the whole-body feeling?
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Breathing in the pelvis,
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we place the right hand in the left,
thumbs gently touching.
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Feel the curve of the arms,
the easing of the shoulders and the jaw.
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For a few minutes, we do nothing at all.
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We give ourselves over
to the feeling of the moment.