Happy Musical Body

Happy Musical Body

Aim: To experience rhythm and enhance body awareness

Level: 2
Duration: 10-15 min

Introducing the technique of body percussion, to take care of your body while having fun.

Instructions:

  • In a comfortable space, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Feel the natural rhythm of your breathing, relax and focus on the present moment.
  • Start with your hands. Clap them together in a steady, regular rhythm. Begin with a simple rhythm, e.g. 'beat, beat, pause', paying attention to the precision and trying to keep a constant volume.
  • Add feet. Start tapping your feet on the floor in synchronization with your hands and experiment with the different rhythms and sounds you can create. You can tap the heel or the sole of your foot, or both. with your feet.
  • Explore other parts of the body to create rhythmic sounds: for example, gently tap your chest with your hands, and tap your fingers on your thighs, shoulders, and even your head.
  • Once you feel comfortable with the different body parts, try combining movements: for example, start with a series of hand claps, then add the feet and later experiment with other rhythmic movements.
  • Add variations: once you have mastered some basic rhythms, start adding variations such as speed changes, or try more complex rhythmic sequences. Be creative and have fun!
  • Close the exercise calmly, taking a few moments to relax and return to your natural breathing.
  • Reflect on how you felt during the exercise and appreciate the rhythm you created with your body.

Advice:

Make sure not to hit your body too hard or violently during the exercise and listen to your body to avoid injury or discomfort.

You can use this exercise as a recurring activity to add to your warm-up and improve your skills over time. In this case, you may find it interesting to combine it with journaling, noting down your sensations at the end of the activity and checking how they changed through time. This activity can be usefully combined with the Tool "Self-Massage", which might work as a self-caring follow-up to the body percussion exercise.