The natural world—which we are not separate from—offers a clear blueprint of what would benefit us upon arising. Even domesticated dogs and cats in the midst of their now pampered lifestyles insist on shaking off the cobwebs with a good morning stretch. Instinctually we would be compelled to do the same, if it wasn’t for our rational minds conflicting ideas of what should be prioritized.
Typical days start with the sound of an alarm, signaling for us to get up at some predetermined hour. We’re thus immediately drawn towards the external pulls of life. Cell phones create additional temptations as we commonly select them to provide this alert. After pushing stop or snooze, it can be hard to avoid taking a stroll down numerous outwardly directed avenues: emails, text messages, social media, sports results, the weather, new outlets, all in the palm of our hand. Use airplane mode as a helpful shield towards digital enticements. Switch to this setting an hour before going to bed and maintain for an hour after rising. Observe the desire to check what’s going on “out there” and watch how it passes.
On a recent trip to Costa Rica, we had the experience of collective awakening with the wild surroundings. Being stimulated by the sunrise, the singing of birds, and the howling of the appropriately named howler monkeys, virtually demanded that days start with ease and reflection.
Being in tune with the morning regardless of physical location offers the gift of silence before the world around us wakes up. As we transition between states of consciousness, a gap is created. If we lean into this opening, there is a heightened opportunity for connecting with the internal environment—a moment to feel the direction, or not direction, of innate intuitions. Some options for an inward practice include: meditation, journaling, breathing exercises, the Wim Hoff Method1 for those interested in befriending the cold, and mindful movement. This writing will focus on taking a closer look at the last mentioned.
Think of morning mobility as a chance to investigate what our bodies have available and are capable of as we awaken. Why is this an ideal time for physical preparation? If we’re lucky we’ve just slept between 7 and 9 hours during which our bodies have been relatively immobilized. While necessary for recovery, this temporary rigor mortis can result in feeling stiff when it’s time to move again. Human synovial joints require motion and the effects of intermittent forces to remain healthy. Motion stimulates the secretion of synovial fluid, i.e., joint lubricant. Imbibition is a process produced by forces, necessary for cellular waste removal and nutrient replacement.
There is benefit to reintroducing range of motion with intention rather than waiting for a task to be the determinant. Let’s look at shoveling as an example since I no longer live in the Northeast and periodically miss the snow. When shoveling, the spine is flexed and the ligaments have less strain tolerance and slack available to accommodate rotation (particularly in the lumbar region/low back). This bending and twisting motion can sometimes trigger muscle spasm of the quadratus lumborum. While painful this QL defense mechanism is the bodies orchestrated solution for protecting the lumbar spine from injury, we can refine our adaptive capacity to life’s endeavors with training.
Create a dedicated space to start this process soon after getting out of bed. Find a natural standing position and begin a body scan. Breathe. Bring awareness to the crown of the head and work down to the feet. Inhale through the nose for 5 seconds, then exhale through the nose for 5 seconds.2 Direct the flow of oxygen where tension is present and spend more time in these areas. Notice how tightness fades into the surrounding relaxed tissues. Recognize its impermanent nature.
“What you resist, persists.”
— C.G. Jung
When scanning is complete, return to a normal breathing pattern and feel the ground underneath your bare feet. Enliven the muscles around the foot and ankle by shifting weight to the heels, then towards the toes. Continue to transfer energy through the body. Pause at each joint along the way and move through your available range of motion with control. Joints live between the poles of stability and mobility; visualize the capabilities of the specific structure and its surrounding soft tissue. The structural stability of the elbow’s hinge joint permits one plane of motion (sagittal). The shoulder is a ball and socket joint—more accurately a golf ball on a tee joint—which offers less structural stability but allows for motion in all three of the planes that anatomical textbooks have named (sagittal, frontal, transverse) in addition to an infinite number of unnamed planes.
Specific instructions for this work remain intentionally vague, offering the space for a customized practice to unfold; let it come to you. This is meant to be a complement, not a replacement, to any previously existing exercise regimens. When envisioning implementation, keep in mind the importance of having the ability to perform this anywhere, with no need to be in a gym, or the use of any equipment. Start out slowly and see what it naturally evolves into. Leave room for variability since no morning will be exactly the same as any other. Keep options open to allow the focus to pivot between stability, strength, flexibility, and mobility. Base these decisions on how the body responds to each stimulus and steer in the direction that feels most beneficial each day.
Overall, approach this moment as an opportunity to ground into your physical foundation. Invite an occasion to become quiet enough to hear the internal cues rather than listening for instructions; to see what cooks up without needing to look at a recipe. Find freedom charging the body with the potential each morning offers.
Link to scientific research behind the Wim Hoff Method, a study at Radboud University in 2011 showed that by using his method, Wim was able to voluntarily influence his autonomic nervous system — previously thought to be a scientific impossibility.
Link to study on breathing rate, “5.5 breaths per minute with equal inhalation-to-exhalation ratio increases heart rate variability.”
Morning Mobility in The Costa Rican Afterglow