tap and shake

in the december edition of "i've got your back" we talk about a great technique for waking up the body and getting the blood flowing. it's helpful if you're feeling those winter blues so you can shake things up a bit, but it's also a great way to get centered in your body if you feel like your mind is on the run and you're a little anxious.

:: tap tap tap ::

focus on one limb at a time, and start with a tap / slap all up and down the limb. these can be pretty heavy pats, and it might make a bit of a sound! try to cover the whole limb with your taps, and do as much as you want, whatever feels good.

:: shake shake shake ::

on the same limb, give yourself a good squeeze and squish. kind of like when you rub the belly of a big dog, you can give yourself some good rubs, making sure to squish the muscles and rub them around. this isn't just a soft smooth swirl on top of the skin, this is meant to be a little deeper. move the bone off the muscle, give yourself some good pressure and twists and squishes.

:: pause ::

before moving on to the next limb, stop and notice how you feel! what has changed? how does that limb feel compared to the others? what do you notice? has your breathing changed?

you can do this on all four of your limbs, as well as on your belly and chest. and if you've got a friend nearby, they can 'have your back' and help do this along the back of your torso as well!

if you have any questions, about these practices or others, don't hesitate to reach out! my email is drstephvos@gmail.com and i love to chat about bodies :)

listen to the full interview here, and stay tuned the last wednesday of the month for "i've got your back" at 8:20(ish) on wtip.org's north shore morning show!