Melting the Flesh (Patreon)

• If you’re new to LMA, start with our table of contents

Practitioners at the LMA Learning Lab begin their training sessions with this breathing and stance practice.

Sapling stance

Begin by positioning your feet wider than your trunk, toes pointing outward, and rooting into the earth with the front of your feet rather than the heels. (Throughout the modules, you'll generally root with the forefoot rather than the heel.) Unlock your knees and soften your hips, pelvis, abs, and lower back. Allow your chest to settle and breathe into your diaphragm, preferably through your nose, gently placing your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Lift your shoulders briefly, draw them slightly back, and then release, letting your arms and fingers dangle. Close your eyes to simplify sensory input, emphasizing sensations from your feet and breath. Lengthen gently through the crown of your head toward the sky.

Imagine your bones lifting you up while your flesh melts down. Hold your posture through structural integrity rather than muscular effort, letting your flesh drape naturally from your skeletal framework. Like a sapling, your roots spread beneath you broader than your trunk. Your crown reaches upward, and your body remains supple.

This stance cultivates our foundation for wu wei, where structure, alignment, and momentum guide your movement, minimizing muscular exertion. With muscular ease, your body can more effectively recycle energy and harness natural forces.

Breathing cycle

Breathe in, pause, breathe out, pause. Breathe in—bones lift you up—breathe out—flesh melts down. By releasing the tension that's holding you down, you can lift yourself up. You're also warming up and stretching your lungs, body tissue, and internal systems.

Self-regulation through ease

Tension restricts learning and impedes movement. When at ease, you become more adaptable, attentive, and less susceptible to injury—both physical and psychological. Ease fosters smooth learning and perceptual openness.

"Melting the flesh" provides autonomy over automatic breathing. By consciously regulating automatic functions, we regulate ourselves. We develop greater self-awareness and self-control. We're less on autopilot and less at the mercy of automatic, non-self-determined behaviors. This synergy of self-determination promotes ease and readiness for further movement exploration and learning.

Pace and self-determination

By deliberately slowing your breath, you regain control over pacing, another typically automatic behavior. Often, we unconsciously strain by maintaining a pace that is neither enjoyable nor sustainable. Our actions are often non-self-determined. Developing this skill of intentional pacing increases your ability to self-determine movement intensity, enhancing enjoyment and reducing unnecessary strain.

Cultivating softness

Breathe consciously into areas holding tension, then release it away. We want a soft body and a supple mind. This malleability enhances your adaptability, making you a more responsive mover and reducing injury risks.

Breathing as Wayfinding

Heightened attunement to your breathing patterns throughout the day reveals frequent moments of breath-holding or rapid breathing. For instance, noticing rapid breathing often reveals preceding breath-holding, even during simple activities. This unconscious and automatic behavior increases perceived effort, shaping a self-image based on unnecessary strain.

Recognizing these patterns and intentionally returning to steady, smooth breathing transforms everyday experiences, reducing unnecessary fatigue and discomfort. This awareness prevents breath-holding, especially during new activities—making them more enjoyable.

Consistently releasing tension throughout the day fosters sustained suppleness. Effortless movement and a connection to your conditions arise from this continual state of ease. You are most effective when you're breathing and at ease. You're most alive when you are breathing.

– Sam