Riding the Waves

A 5-min practice to move freely through the highs and lows 💪🏽

It’s Flourishing Friday, Brave friend. Is the world throwing lots of intensity at you these days? In today’s 5-minute practice (jump below), you can liberate yourself with movement.

love to ride these waves at La Push, WA

On Tuesday, we saw our dear friend for the last time.

Three months to live is now just a few days. A lovely neighbor passed away this week, too. Meanwhile, my sweetheart learns to breathe through excruciating back pain. I sigh along with him: “Ahhhhh…”

The waves of fear, grief, and tension are taking a toll. So many tears. And so much love. It’s cracking us open, and deepens the sense of what matters most.

How do you connect to the joy of living in a body?

My community of free spirits dances outside every Wednesday. To move freely is to celebrate LIFE. Still, we rarely experience true physical freedom. We’ve been conditioned to hold back. We’re overly conscious of our bodies. We avoid looking weird (but that’s when things get silly and juicy). Moving freely softens that tight inner grip we hold on ourselves. Releasing tension from our joints, and the residue of emotions (mad, sad, good, bad) that build up over time.

Right now, I invite my body to slide and glide and dance a little in my chair. As I write or make a cup of tea for my sweetheart: could everything be a dance?

May this practice inspire you to move in any way you like. Follow along in this video, featuring my alter-ego Queen Poopicina, her spontaneous song, and the ‘Holy Sh*t’ 💩 version of the tool. Or read the 💗 HeartsQuest steps below. Soften your shoulders. Go for it. Let your body move you. Join the dancing waves of energy we’re all made of.

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5-min Practice: Freedom Wear

From my deck, HeartsQuest: Creative Tools to Navigate Change

May this 5-min. practice bring you a little liberation today. This video features my ridiculous alter-ego Queen Poopicina sharing the potty-mouth ‘Holy Sh*t’ 💩 version of the tool, with a spontaneous song. Or, follow the steps below.

Freedom Wear Tool: How can I move more freely?

• BREATHE into your whole body.

• IMAGINE wearing the most comfortable, relaxing clothing in the universe.

• NOTICE how the material feels, how it fits, any colors or designs

• ALLOW yourself to feel completely at ease, with no self-consciousness, as free as a child.

• IMAGINE how you want to move: fast or slow, graceful or wild, stretching, leaping, or...? To run, climb, creep, twirl, or...?

• VISUALIZE following your body’s impulses.

• REFLECT: “As I move like this, I feel...”

Make it Real: Pretend that no one’s watching

• EXPLORE: Get up, feel how your body wants to move right now, and go for it (maybe in a private place).

• CREATE: Share or write in a journal how it feels to explore your freedom of movement. Be honest.

• MANIFEST: Play with this movement, or something similar, 3 times this week. If you feel inhibited, it’s ok. Try the Balloon Breath for more calm before moving.

🗣️ Your comments are jazz for my soul!

1. Anything intense going on for you these days?

2. Does intensity tend to make you tighten up? Hold your breath?

3. How does your body like to move?

4. What little way of moving feels good to you right now?

Thanks for liberating the joy of living in a body. Please forward or share with a friend, click that heart, or comment. It truly helps more brave souls like you find us.

More to Come,

Brave Creatives face the Monkeys of Fear when we share our unique voices. 🙉🙊🙈 We’re here to grow our support crew for compassion, courage, and connection. As a multi-passionate elder, my work has appeared in Time Magazine, feature films and television, newspapers, and YA fantasy novels; I wrestled with my fear of singing to perform on stages and festivals on the West Coast. Today’s practice is from HeartsQuest and Holy Sh*T! creative healing decks, used by therapists, oracle lovers, and People who Poo. 💩 More at HeartsQuest.com. 💗