Thursday, February 5, 2009

Looking for a Sensual Valentine's Gift?

Valentine’s Day is about love, not material things, so get your sweetie what he or she really wants—a more sensuous you. You don’t need to go shopping. Sensuality doesn’t come from cologne, Victoria’s Secret or poetry. It’s being more comfortable in your own skin, so you can connect intimately.

How do you get more sensuous?
1. Slow down from a hurried everyday pace into the slow-motion rhythm of a tango dancer making an entrance. Let go of any movements that feel programmed or robotic. Saunter.
2. Pay attention to the details of everything: yourself, your mate, your environment, even when (or maybe especially when) you are dropping your clothes in the laundry basket.
3. Move like you are being admired; highlight your attributes and strike a pose every now and then. Add a flourish to routine activities.

Here are two fun undulation exercises to get you in the mood.

For Ladies: Snake Arms
1. Stand with your feet comfortably apart and flexible knees.
2. Lean to one side. As you lean, reach your arm out to that same side.
3. Come back to center. Move from your spine first; draw your body toward the opposite side and reach with the other arm.
4. Take minute to sway from side to side, remembering the tips for sensuality. Slow down, pay attention to the details, and move like you are being admired.
5. Now that your spine is flowing, add to the arm movement. As you lean to the left, reach with your left arm and raise it up with your bent elbow higher than your softly bent wrist so that your fingers point to the floor.
6. When you lean to the right, the right arm reaches and raises elbow first, as your left arm drops gradually, with the elbow leading arm and wrist bent so that the fingers point to the ceiling.
7. Let your spine and shoulders roll with the movements, all the way through your neck and out the top of your head, but be careful of whiplash with your neck.
8. As you get more comfortable with this movement, spread your feet farther apart so that your body can sway further to each side.

Especially for Men: Tailbone Penmanship
(Teach your man this and you’ll both be happy!)
1. Get on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hip joints.
2. Warm up your body for a minute. Move your hips, back, and shoulders.
3. Pretend your tailbone is a laser pointer that sends a beam of red light to the floor between your ankles.
4. Draw a cursive letter “a” with your laser pointer. Take your time and try to smooth out the curves.
5. Go through the alphabet from “a” to “z.” Try to initiate most of the movement from your pelvis, rather than your legs, so your hips swivel on your thigh bones and nudge your spine from side to side.
6. Coordinate the movement of your tail and spine to create more flexibility in your low back.
7. Write “I Love You!”

What you do next is up to you.

**Both exercises are excerpted from Relieve Stiffness and Feel Young Again with Undulation, the audio version is Undulation Exercises.

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