Many chins is one of Anya’s signature purposeful fidgets. It can look silly and feel even weirder yet it is so good at bringing all those little bones in the skull, face, and neck into alignment with each other and the entire spine, resulting in a sense of ease, whole body integration and more mobility in the hips.

Below are three steps that can be done as a sequence or as independent exercises.

Many Chins: Inhale letting the back of the neck lengthen with the chin in its natural place then exhale making a double or triple chin by pushing the base of the skull behind you as if you are scrutinizing a newspaper with really small print or inching your glasses up your nose. Be gentle and go as slow as you need. Remember to exhale softening the jaw and inhale lengthening neck.

Many Chins with Head Nods: Adding a little something extra, inhale to prepare, lengthening the neck then exhale to look right doing a very careful and slow Many Chins. Inhale the head back to a natural straight ahead position then exhale the “No” nod to the left gently making many chins once again. You have completed two. Now, repeat the movement six more times.

Many Chins with Head Nods and Rib Cage Breath: If you are an experienced Anya student or simply feeling fancy do another set of eight Many Chins with head nods, now adding a rib cage breath. Prepare by taking opposite hand to opposite rib cage. Take 3-5 breaths engaging the ribs, contracting them on exhalations and expanding them on inhalations. Now you are ready to start your many chins with head nods to the right. Inhale, prepare with the gaze directly forward. Exhale nod ‘No” to the right making many chins. Simultaneously use the right hand to pull the left ribs (11th reach them) south and to the right as if connecting the ribs to the opposite hip. Initiate the movement of the head back to center by inhaling-expanding-inflating the left ribs then exhale nodding “No” to the left while making Many Chins and contracting the right ribs south and to the left using the left hand vigorously. Repeat six more times, three right and three left.

If you want to practice the third variation more subtly or do this somewhere you might not want to be hugging yourself try engaging the ribs without the help of the hands. It is harder and can be just as informative and effective. Remember to take your time and be real careful with the movements of the head and neck here. Do this with work with a spirit of experimentation and wonder allowing these deceptively small movements to lead you to big changes. Thanks. Until next time.

O