Who doesn’t like a snack? A little treat mid-morning or mid-afternoon. Something nice to keep you going until lunch or to enjoy with a cup of tea in the afternoon. Maybe it allows you to just take a moment out of your busy day or to nourish your body to keep you going. A snack isn’t something you have instead of your lunch or dinner. Snacks aren’t something you just continue having mindlessly all day long; they’re a special little treat that makes you smile.
So what about a movement snack? A moment in your day when you stand up and yawn, reach the arms to the sky and allow the hips to move. A deep breath in allowing the belly to fill and the chest to expand, a long sigh out, letting the tension ebb away. A walk across the room noticing as your feet make contact with the ground beneath you, allowing your waist to let go and your arms to swing. A moment to reconnect with your body, to notice how you feel.
In the morning, we yawn, we move, and we pandiculate, waking up the body after a long night in bed – and it feels good. Movement snacks aren’t about replacing your somatic movement practice – that’s your meal. Your movements snacks are there to allow you to reconnect during your day and to notice your habits: the tension you hold whilst working, driving, or doing chores. They are snippets of loveliness in your day to bring you back to yourself, and to be mindful and aware. They allow you to take your main somatic practice and apply it to your everyday day life, helping to break habituated movement patterns and tension. Somatic movement snacks do not just make you feel physically better, but emotionally better, allowing you to move with more freedom throughout your day.
So next time you get out of the car, or you’ve been sat for a while at work, try it. Allow yourself a moment to have a movement snack – just a minute or two – to move, notice, and breath.
