03

My name is ________.
I love the touch of ________.

intro:
body work
guidance and references through imagery
- to bring awareness to our own body
- to build connection with our own body
- to build connection with the instrument
- everyone is different and have their own pace of connection with their body

Warm up:
- tai chi warm up arm swinging exercise
- purpose: posture awareness, and the concept of initiating from your core, and "letting go" of the arms

stretches
- lower body stretches (Carrie Carter and Ryo Shimamoto)
- feet
- legs + shoulder blades
photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/TUXf8N7VkZGQ6Jfr7

"dying cockroach" exercise
-2 mins of on the floor exercise

alignment of body with drum
- how to find the stance that works for your body
- how to develop a sense of "center" and "gounded-ness" through finding the right stance

Drills:
2 minutes roll
- focus on breathing and bring your awareness to where tension happen

Alignment and Grounded-ness
- apply the same concept of feeling the air/ki through your spine to build upper body awareness
- to feel the alignment of shoulder, arms, and lower body
- to feel the space around our body

light saber exercise
- goal: be comfortable with the space in between strike, and also the space around our body
- video: https://youtu.be/e0kYoL4yJoI

breathing exercise
- nostril > chest/torso > belly
- breath in > jelly fish goes down (relax muscle below your belly button)
- breath out > jelly fish goes up (tighten muscle in an upward motion)

oroshi
- one by one - crescendo > decrescendo
- focus on breathing and using core power
- be mindful that everyone is different and the goal is to go beyond your own comfort zone rather than comparing with others

Melting Exercise with Oroshi
- play a gentle oroshi on the taiko along with music
- utilize the music to bring awareness to your breathing and do a body scan while playing