Practices to Help Move Up the Ladder

VOO BREATHING

When: Anytime, but especially if you sense yourself frozen, collapsed, numb, dissociated.

When making the Voo sound, remember to inhale through the nose, and on the exhale to voo as long as you can, then pause and wait for a natural breath to occur. Note anything else that happens in the body.

Audio:

RAA BREATHING

When: When you feel a sympathetic charge, like there is lots of energy in the body and it wants to move out; wonderful when angry or anxious.

Similar to the Voo, but it’s best to push into a wall or squeeze a pillow as you make the sound. You can also invite the eyes to beam like lasers, and your jaw to open and relax. Remember to direct the energy you feel out of your arms and face into the wall or pillow.

PACING LIKE A LION

When: When you feel a sympathetic charge and you want to give the energy some direction. 

Remember that fight/flight energy wants out through movement. You have two options, to pace and walk like a lion around the room, and notice what happens when you do that, or you can picture YOU are the lion and you can walk around, charge, run, even fight or roar. Observe what happens in your body as you act from the lion’s body. This is great when you can’t physically go out.

PUSHING INTO A WALL

When: When you feel a sympathetic charge and you want to give the energy some direction. 

This isn’t about the pushing (even though pushing stuff is fun). It’s about organizing the boiling, jittery, percolating energy in your body and giving it some direction.

Place one foot forward one back (staggered like if you were to push a car) and your hands on the wall with elbows bent (like half a push up). Keeping your elbows steady (do not extend) push into the wall, directing all the energy you want to move out of your body. Exhale (make a sound if a sound wants to come out). Direct your eye’s energy out like they are lasers and you want to make holes in the wall.

SHAKING OFF ARMS AND LEGS

When: When you have lots of energy built up in the body and you want to give it some direction.

Shaking is super helpful if you do it in a way that is mindful – you don’t have to shake hard, even gentle shakes can be supportive. Notice your before and after and let the after integrate as you savor the changes.