Y4PS Module Four: Movement

Welcome to Module 4, Movement Practices. In this module, you’ll learn five asana, or yogic movement practices, to help build onstage ease and confidence. 

These five yoga movements don’t require special workout clothes or a mat or any other equipment. You can perform them almost anywhere (even backstage!) in any comfortable clothing. You also don’t have to be bendy, fit, or flexible; these movements are gentle and accessible to almost anyone.  

Movement – even in small doses – can change our bodies, energize our brains, and shift our nervous systems in significant ways.  

 The five yogic movement practices, or asana, you’ll learn in this module have been strategically chosen and tailored to enhance your onstage presence in specific ways. 

The five Y4PS movement techniques include:

• Sun Breaths
• Mountain Pose
• Bamboo in the Wind
• Good Vibrations
• Calming Waters

These practices can help you to:

• Ground, center, and distribute your physical energy, including excess energy that can arise, so you feel comfortably anchored – without feeling rigid or locked into place
• Trust your body to simply “be” onstage, rather than to “do” your presentation
• Free you to take up space both physically and energetically – so that you feel and appear powerful, confident, and in command of your message and yourself

These simple movement practices build upon the breath practices you’ve already learned.

As you practice these movements, keep in mind:

• Breath Connection: Your breath guides each movement, so that movement and breath stay in close union (the literal translation of the word “yoga” is union, connection, to yoke – so we are always connecting breath and movement)

• Mindfulness: Your attention should remain with your breath and the movement you are doing; if your mind wanders to other thoughts, gently bring it back to the breath and movement you are focused on

Practice and Apply These Techniques

In the days and weeks before your presentation, spend 10-15 minutes a day practicing the techniques you learned in this module (download the PDF as a handy guide). 

Observe your experience during and after these practices and notice any effects that may be happening.