You’ve been sitting on the floor – now you need to get up off the floor. If we get into the habit of doing this mindfully and with grace this is an amazing exercise.
I like to think of 2 images – someone who rises gracefully from the floor the movement smooth and youthful, and someone who struggles to work against gravity holding on to nearby furniture and with gets up with a great deal of effort.
How to be young and graceful?
Simply incorporate the act of getting up from the floor into your daily habits.
The repetition of this action ensures that your nervous system ‘remembers’ this action (which is, if you break it down, a very complex action involving the co-ordination of many different muscle groups). I like to have the image of an 80 year old japanese lady who has been performing tea ceremonies her whole life getting up and down from the floor. She may be old in years but the movement looks youthful and graceful.
Follow these simple steps
1. From kneeling raise up
2. Bring one foot forward at right angles (remember to use different legs each time)
3. Stand up (using a vertical upwards force) minimising wobble
You might need to hold onto something initially but as you get more coordinated try without.
Then try other ways to get up gracefully!