I love the imagery of the second Ai Chi movement, floating.
Floating: Push your arms straight down through the water in front of you with palms down as you exhale, then turn your palms up and let the buoyancy of the water lift your arms to the surface as you breathe in.
Floating reflections… My arms feel light and this action is completely effortless. Sometimes Ai Chi leaves me feeling hyper-alert and focused, but sometimes just running through the Ai Chi movements in my head helps me fall asleep. Michelle Dains shares my experience of floating so very well in her poem of the same name:
lying my arms out
letting my body float out to see
this gentle current rocks me ever so slightly
i think i might be falling asleep
i feel fish nibbling my feet
it feels ever so good
as i float away with a smile on my face
i couldn’t have a care in the world
i continue my journey just drifting away
the water is warm the sun on my face
the sky is so blue not a cloud to exist
the waves keeping me rocking
the sound of the birds flying through the air
then as the night dawns upon me
everything goes silent
there, is nothing to see
i close my eyes floating away
fast asleep
by Michelle Dains, All Poetry