We all have parts that are craving to be felt but are covered over by the hyper-stimulation of today's fast paced society. In Heart iQ we work from the belief that you have to feel it to heal it, and that begins by coming into relationship with your body, letting it take the lead rather than your thinking mind.
The Slow Motion Movement Practice is one of the ways we do this. It connects you to your heart, your body, and a sense of self intimacy that many people rarely allow themselves. The invitation is to slow down enough to notice more of your experience.
Why slowness matters
When we work with this practice we're playing with two frequencies that show up again and again in Heart iQ: what we call the masculine force, the witness or observer that can hold stillness, and the feminine force, everything that is being witnessed, the movement and life force itself. This isn't about men and women. It's about the relationship between consciousness and the energy consciousness observes.
The invitation is to stay in gentle motion while slowing down enough to notice it. There is no need to make the movement uncomfortable or to reach a particular state. Pausing or returning to ordinary movement remains an option.
How do you do it?
- Go to a quiet place where you'll be undisturbed.
- Start in a comfortable position, sitting, standing, on all fours, or lying down.
- Allow your body to relax and gently focus on your breath. Eyes can be open or closed.
- When your body feels like it wants to move, let it happen, very very slowly.
- Move based on your body's longing rather than your mind's will. Don't decide in advance which part to move next. Become the witness to your body's natural inclination, fascinated and even surprised by what comes. Keep it slow, slow, slow.
Working with a partner
Once you've spent time practising this alone, which we sometimes call the vertical practice, connecting to yourself, the earth, and something larger than yourself, you can bring in a second dimension: the horizontal practice, connecting with another person. If you both want to try, agree on a comfortable distance and explore slow movement together. Eye contact is optional; either person can pause or stop. In Heart iQ we sometimes describe this as the four directions of connection: connecting upward to something larger than yourself, connecting downward into the earth, receiving love from others, and being fully yourself in the presence of others. When those four come together there's often a noticeable shift, a sense of ease or aliveness worth paying attention to.
A few things to keep in mind
This isn't a discipline you have to perform every day. Once your body has felt what this practice offers, it will often crave more of it, so you get to choose how often you return to it.
This practice isn't designed to push you toward pain, deep stretch, or to deliberately go looking for old wounding or trauma. Simply follow what feels good and follow your joy.
Leave music out of it. Let your own emergent, surrendered leadership come forward rather than being carried by outside stimulation. Simply witness what arises.
In this practice the emphasis is on gentle movement. Stillness is also a valid choice, and movement is not a condition for having feelings.
As you do this, whether alone or with a partner, it can be useful to notice a couple of simple questions: is this enjoyable or uncomfortable, and underneath that, do you feel like life has your back right now? You don't need to answer these to anyone else. Just notice what comes up.
Thanks to Tej Steiner, founder of Heart Circles, who first brought this practice to us.
Four Directions of Connection
- Connect upward to source
- Connect downward to the earth
- Receive love from others
- Be fully yourself in the presence of others
