This exercise can be done at anytime that you are pain free enough to stand for 5 minutes and could be done daily after and during your sessions.
Well, some would say this is the ultimate goal of Structural Integration: to be informed by gravity in a positive way. And I would be one person to agree. What does that mean? Well, if you are a carpenter you may have a plumb line to help literally see gravity. For the rest of you just follow along.
Start by standing (this can also be done sitting but is much harder to get the first time this way- make sure you are on your sits bones). Please do try it sitting another time however and whenever you find yourself sitting( you may have to bring that computer screen a whole lot closer to be able to be free and see it).
Let your ankles be free. Do you notice that you start rocking back and forth? Do you notice that you don’t have to ‘consciously’ catch yourself from falling forward or back? Well, you’ve discovered gravity and the bodies built in reflexes around it. Literally around it.
Let your knees be free. Let your hips be free. Let all the vertebra or your spine (and neck be free). Let the head be free (it goes forward and up- I’ll discuss this in later posts). let your collarbones be free. Let your shoulders be free. let your elbow be free. Let your wrists be free. Let your hands be free. Let your feet be free.. Let your whole self be free. What is happening? What is your body doing? Is it moving? Is it catching itself?
As the body gets freer the movements caused by our reaction to gravity get subtler and subtler. More like a blade of grass on a windless day as opposed to a large tree in a storm. Happy gravitying ( I just coined that).
The most habitual pattern (almost a 100%) or people is to be stuck forward of the line of gravity. Usually, by several inches. So, if you are having trouble doing this exercise begin by letting yourself fall back and then go from there.
Again, happy gravitying!
There are really only two mediums we are immersed in all the time: one is air the other is gravity. Can you see how important it is to be helped by gravity instead of hindered by it.