Ankle Bone Connected to the - Ice Cream for the Soul by Joy Koenig, MD - Personal Growth, Wellness, Healthy Lifestyle, Meditation, Inspiration

THE ANKLE BONE CONNECTED TO THE...
CATEGORY

        Mindful Meditation

DESCRIPTION

        Do massage as a meditation.

INSTRUCTIONS

        Put on some relaxing music, then grab a bottle of your favorite lotion and put a towel on the floor. Sit down and make yourself comfortable. Do a few QUICKIES to relax your mind.

         Put some lotion on your hands, and start with your feet and lower legs. Using gentle gliding strokes and kneading, massage your feet, ankles and lower leg (see STEP ON IT!). Alternate between sides, and work upward to your knees and thighs. Now, roll on your side and pull your knees toward your torso, your hips and legs forming a ninety-degree angle as if you were sitting in a chair.

         Using your finger tips and the heel of your hand, massage your buttock and your abdomen, then roll onto your other side and repeat. Roll onto your back, and put a pillow under your knees, if you like. Using gentle pressure, gently glide the heel of your hand from your breast bone to your shoulder, just under your collar bone (clavicle). Use your left hand for your right shoulder and vice versa.

         Using gliding strokes and a kneading motion, massage your upper and lower arms, hands and fingers (see THE WHOLE WORLD IN YOUR HANDS), then turn your head to either side and massage your neck. Now use your fingertips to massage your face, focusing on your forehead and temples.

         As a final step, sit up and put your hands on your hips, then move them backwards until your thumbs are along but not over your spine. Use the ball or pad of your thumbs (not the tip), and apply firm pressure in one spot. Release the pressure and move your thumbs up or down a half-inch, and repeat until you've covered as much of your spine and back as you can reach. Take a few more slow deep breaths, then do some gentle stretching exercises now that your muscles have relaxed. You may find that you feel more flexible mentally as well as physically. While you are massaging the lotion into your skin, you can use a mantra. Think or say "I love my toe, toe, toe...I love my foot, foot, foot....I love my ankle, ankle, ankle, etc."

RELATED IDEAS

        Use all the personality type functions when doing this activity. Focus on your internal impressions and experiences -- how it feels (introverted Sensing). Observe your body, the smell of the lotion, and the sound of your hands on your skin (extroverted Sensing). Focus objectively on your technique and doing a good job (extroverted Thinking) and create theories about what you observe (introverted Thinking). Focus on how you can apply what you gain from doing this to others (extroverted Feeling), how massage fits with your values (introverted Feeling). Consider what would happen to the world if everyone got a daily massage (extroverted iNtuition) and explore how being more relaxed will impact your own life (introverted iNtuition).

JOY'S JOURNEY

        Massage therapy school was a major vehicle of transition for me. It was my hands-on introduction to "issues in the tissues", the importance of proper posture and ergonomics, the spiritual and emotional force of breath, energy systems (acupressure, reflexology), and the healing power of touch -- mind, body and spirit. I learned more about preventive medicine in my few months of massage school than I did during my years of conventional medical training.

QUOTES

When one is out of touch with oneself,
one cannot touch others.
Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Have a heart that never hardens,
a temper that never tires,
a touch that never hurts.
Charles Dickens

INTERNET LINK

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Dr. Joy is available to present playful workshops (playshops) at your corporate training retreat, non profit organization gathering, or club membership meetings. She is located in Denver, Colorado, and travels throughout the US to deliver Serious Fun ™ Programs for personal growth, wellness, and inspiration. Please see the program pages for details and contact information.

This playful meditation activity is COPYRIGHTED. If you are a professional trainer, coach, human resources person, counselor, or therapist it is not ethical nor legal for you to use it or share it with your clients or those you supervise/train as part of your job. See the copyright notice on the front page of this e-book. Remember, character is what you do when no one is looking. Please take the high road, and pay me appropriately to use these materials professionally, even if you work for a church, school, non-profit or the government.