September 2006

Educational Feature

Embodying Crawling

In the last issue, we guided you into moving your energy through the architecture of Crawling, the third of the Five Stages of Self-Healing (Embryonic, Creeping, Crawling, Standing, Walking). We took what you learned in building the architecture of Crawling—where you begin to gain mobility and stability moving on your hands and knees, and you begin to look out into the world—and showed you how to move your energy through the structure of Crawling, to prepare you to physically and energetically shift from a horizontal life and perspective to a vertical one. In the Crawling stage you find that have more choices and more freedom to change direction. Now, we guide you into Embodying Crawling…

What is remarkable about all Five Stages is how restful and dynamic each posture actually is. When we first began practicing the Five Stages of Self-Healing, Embryonic always provided a very peaceful, relaxed, and healing sensation. We remember the unique experience of practicing these Five Stages in water and capturing the true essence of relaxation in each stage. What we observed when practicing these Five Stages on land was that the sensation of “dynamic” was present, but the sensation of “ease” seemed to disappear. Embryonic felt somewhat relaxing, but all the other stages seemed to required so much effort. What was missing? We went back to water to condition ourselves to remember that the path of least resistance is the only path. 

Embryonic was easy and fun as we twirled and turned supported by the buoyancy of the world around us—water. Yet, Creeping was a whole other experience in water. It was challenging to stay on the bottom of the pool. Crawling in water was also a challenge to stay on the bottom of the pool, yet it was possible when we exhaled and allowed ourselves to rest on the bottom. When we began to move, balancing on two knees and one hand or two hands and one knee, we felt buoyant and things felt easy. Standing gave us an opportunity to again exhale fully and rest on the earth. Walking was exhilliarating as we burst up and out of the water into a breath of life and renewal. It was the supportive buoyant sensation we received by practicing the Five Stages in water that we have carried over into this practice in third dimension. 

On land, there is no water to support us, yet we can support ourselves with the internal movement of our breath. We can also mindfully seek the sensation of Dynamic Ease and relaxation creating an internal pressure to give us the sensation of moving in water. How can you be dynamic and maintain posture and feel at ease and relaxed? How can you be relaxed and sense ease and yet have the power to dynamically move? By experiencing and embodying Crawling.

Crawling is the perfect stage to embody Dynamic and Ease. While it is easy to move through Embryonic, into Creeping, and sense moving with difficulty, it is also possible to replace that effort with Dynamic Ease. Crawling can be used as the stage to experience what it means to be supported by the earth. The Architecture of Crawling is all about rising up and away from the earth. It integrates the supportive powers of heaven and earth, which become the spine for Dynamic Ease to move through you, and allow you to embody Crawling.

As a practice, whenever you feel tension in your body, get down on all fours into the posture of Crawling, and do nothing but rest. Rest in this healing architecture. Spread your palms so that your fingers lengthen and allow the ground beneath you to support your upper body. With your feet face up, what we call Sunny Side Up, rest on your knees, floating your hips up and allow the ground below to be your support. As you inhale and exhale, give your spine to the downward pull of gravity and give your eyes to the future, looking straight ahead. What you will notice is the sensation of Dynamic Ease in stillness.

Crawling architecture means your upper body and lower body are connected to the earth, while your spine, from tail to crown, is extending up and out, like a fluid chord, being charged energetically. Embodying Crawling means you understand what this stage is all about because you have experienced it in stillness and in motion. You have received its self-healing benefits. And you recognize its isolated power, as well as its connection to the whole of the practice of The Five Stages of Self-Healing.

In class, integrate Crawling in FloorPlay, and celebrate the free will to move, the dynamic power to integrate your upper and lower body, and the opportunity to be supported by energy fields. Use these energy fields to feed your 75 trillion cells with the sensation of Dynamic Ease. Use Crawling as a posture to explore breathing and relaxation and remember that Crawling is now a part of your celluar imprint. You no longer have to think about how to move dynamically and with relaxation.

Take your time. Receive the healing. Use Crawling to recognize the future —Standing and Walking—and be fully connected to the now in Crawling. Remember that Crawling is how we begin to more physically and freely explore the world around us. It is the stage we use to tap into our inner will. Crawling is where our spirit begins to express itself.

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