Turn it up!

“Love to hear it!”
Gloria Estefan

First thing to do is find Gloria Estafan on YouTube singing, Turn the Beat Around.

Then,  “Turn it up turn it up, turn it upside down.”

If you’re still sitting after hearing that song there’s a good chance your back is curved or starting to.  A curved back makes your breath shallower.  It compresses the lungs making it difficult for them to fully expand.

So, bring your back up straight.  Settle into the feeling of your spine lengthening. You might even be able to hear the vertebrae click into place…

“Love to hear the percussion,”

Great!  Now bring your focus to the back of the neck.  Let your shoulders come down away from your ears.  Is your chest starting to open a bit more? An open chest allows for an open heart and we all know…

That rhythm carries all the action,”

Feel the back of your neck elongating.  Try doing this stretch without moving your chin.  Keep the chin parallel to the table or desk.  As the shoulders push down the back of the neck extends  and the vertebrae naturally line up …

“With a syncopated rhythm with the scratch- scratch-scratch…” 

A magnificent stretch of your neck can actually brighten your view too!  It opens your breath, opens your spine, opens your heart, opens your mind,

and of course…

 “Makes you want to move your body yeah, yeah, yeah,” 

“Turn the beat around

Love to hear the percussion

Turn it upside down

Love to hear it

Love to hear it

Love to hear the percussion

Yeah!”

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Dr. Joan A. Budilovsky

Writer/Harpist/Friend

Joan is also a long-standing Chicago-Area Newspaper Columnist (Yo Joan!).  Her columns are on meditation, yoga and stress reduction – subjects she has studied, taught and practiced for decades.  A former professional musician, she continues to carry music in her heart and harps.  Her Doctorate is in Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago. 

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