Shifting Rumination into “Room-ination” - A Chi for Two® Story

A while back I wrote a blog about using partner practices with clients. I told the story of one client’s work. Here is a second story based on work with a different client. Again, I have changed details for confidentiality.

Jess spoke of being tormented by anxious thoughts that felt like, “I gotta figure this out. Gotta figure this out.” I thought the practice we call Sway would be a helpful beginning, and invited Jess to explore a torso Sway from a seated position to feel a dance with gravity.

Chi for Two practices invite mindfulness of how interactions with helping professionals offer a redo of infant/parent interactions to facilitate a partnering with Mother Earth.

During the Sway practice, I talked about how we humans pattern our nervous system functioning in infancy during our interactions with our parents as part of multigenerational patterning, “We use this swaying movement as babies to learn to support ourselves.”

Jess paused saying, “I really like hearing that my feelings are part of something greater than just me. “ I smiled a little and Jess’s Sway began again. This time what had started as a side-to-side Sway shifted into a front-to-back Sway.

When Jess suddenly breathed deeply, I named, “That was a deep breath.” And after a moment, “Can you feel how the sensations in your body while you move are not only a dance with gravity but also with oxygen—breath?” Jess considered this question, explored side-to-side Sway again, and then slowly nodded.

“You also are dancing with my voice, my presence across the Zoom void,” I added. Again, Jess nodded, continuing the side-to-side Sway.

I began to demonstrate the Chi for Two practice Snuggle Pose by crossing my arms so that my hands held my upper arms. “When we hold ourselves as we do Sway, we give ourselves a redo of being swaddled as babies.”

Jess copied me, and I continued to demonstrate, “When we feel the holding, we can feel urges to squirm around like a larva in a cocoon—like a dog or cat readying a space to settle in for a nap.” Jess started to squirm a little.

“When we add the holding—and squirming against the holding—it becomes the Chi for Two practice called Snuggle Pose. The squirmy move—the snuggling into swaddling movement—can create internal massage,” I said. Jess nodded, squirming more intensely, eyes closing.

After Jess squirmed a bit, I added, “We can feel the powerful connection of arms to core,” and, “You might want to push your back against the chair and let your legs push into the seat in a squirmy, snuggle-in sort of way.” Jess snuggled into the support.

I further invited, “Snuggle Pose gives us a redo of swaddling—in which we feel our unique selves—and sometimes after Snuggle pose it is fun to drum.” Jess’s eyes popped open and they looked bright.

I demonstrated the Chi for Two drumming practice, using both my hands as if I were a baby playfully banging on a highchair. I explained, “Babies enjoy this kind of drumming…banging both hands on their high chair… waiting for dinner…signaling I AM HERE. THIS IS ME.” I asked Jess, “Can you bang on the desk in front of you?” Jess banged and after a bit, smiled a little smile.

Jess and I had done the practice Push, so after a bit of playful banging, I asked Jess, “Would you want to do Push now into the desk, feeling core to hands, core to feet—feet pushing into the ground?” Jess pushed.

Push is a practice that really resonates with Jess. Jess had said how useful Push was during the week as a way to express frustrations with family members, and managers at work.

Today Jess said, “That whole series really shifted things. Wow. When I was doing that squirmy thing, I felt a real Whoosh, and then the banging and the Push felt great!” Jess let out a little laugh.

“You could practice this series—Sway, Snuggle Pose, Drumming and Push when you find yourself ruminating over something,” I offered, “…use it as science experiment…let me know how it goes.”

“Yes,” Jess said.

I laughed, “I am enjoying thinking about the word rumination as if it were r-o-o-m-ination, like making room. Roomination.” “Yeah,” Jess said, “This practice frees space. The Sway, the squirming and Drumming and Push. Yeah.”

“It allows free flow from Belly-brain to Head-brain and back and forth. Your poor Head-brain isn’t left on its own to figure things out.” I offered. “Yeah,” Jess nodded. “I’m gonna practice this.”

Those were great words for me to hear—very validating of the potential of the Chi for Two partner practices for shifting how we live in our bodies.