One-Minute Practice: Doing the Dishes with More Ease

Even a task as simple as doing the dishes can mean bunched up muscles, raised shoulders, and tight legs. Or you could do the dishes with softer musculature, free joints, and balanced mobility. The former contributes to a state of being that is rushed and tense; the latter to a state of ease and spaciousness.

Next time you do the dishes, notice if you are using more effort than needed. Pause for a moment and send these messages from your brain to your neuro-musculo-skeletal system: I’d like to let my head balance easily on top of my spine. I’d like to use just the right amount of muscle tone for this activity. I’d like to allow the joints in my legs the freedom to balance my weight rather than hold me in place as I reach forward.

I’d like to sense my back as well as the front of me.

I’d like to allow my breath to move through my torso in a three-dimensional way, filling out my ribs and back as well as my diaphragm.

I’d like to invite a state of non-hurry into my being.

These invitations to yourself are not pushy demands but rather gentle, clear intentions to un-do excess effort. Because even a task as simple as doing the dish can be an opportunity to practice moving with ease.