The Dailey Method word of the month for December is SMILE! This is our 4th and last secondary alignment principle and my personal favorite!
Smile…. why not? I enjoy smiling, being smiled at and making other people smile. I frequently smile at strangers. No matter how bad things are, if you smile you will feel better and if you’re smiled at by someone else it’s the same result. So why not?
When relating to class as a student – your Smile is when you get to shine. You’ve found stability and space for your best alignment, gained deep support through muscle engagement, and you’ve balanced effort and ease using your breath – now you get the enjoy the result! Then you start all over again…… your smile is the true pleasure point of the pose or exercise, the place where the results and the magic happen.
As a teacher the SMILE component of alignment can come from many different means. My smile happens when I love a song, turn it up and cue 50 hips swings or when I look around the room and everyone is focused, aligned and obviously working hard or when I crack a joke and others laugh with me, rather than me just laughing myself (at least I think I’m funny). There are a lot of different high points I try to touch on through class to help maintain the energy and the fun.
The list of ways to add a smile into your practice can go on and on. You just have to be present and ready to shine out. Here are some suggestions to add more SMILE into your life this month:
-In your TDM practice: Allow yourself to FEEL that pinnacle moment in each exercise where you embrace your personal best. Appreciate yourself exactly where you are and find at least one thing to smile about. Let your inner you shine out through your outer body.
– In your life practice: Grab an old mason jar and write down on scraps of paper a few things each day that make you smile. Just notice. At the end of the month, pick a quiet time to dump your jar out & read what you wrote. Allow yourself to soak up all the smiles that accumulated in just one short month. Life is so full of joy; find a way to smile from your heart.
With love and a huge SMILE,
— Jill and Lorna
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