New this year to ISD: playlists! Each month our Josh will create a playlist based on the theme for the event. This month he asked our guest speaker, Olivia Morgan about what artists get her excited. You can listen to that playlist here. You can see Josh’s full chat with Olivia on our Instagram here.
For this month’s Independent Study Day, we invited our pal Dee de Lara to share some movement and stretches for bartenders to help them prepare for working a shift behind the bar and how to unwind their bodies after working this shift.
Movement for Bartender Atlas by Dee de Lara @theliminalmovement
All movements are an invitation and suggestion, please listen to what your body is craving. Take what you need and leave behind what you don’t. Stop if you are feeling any stabby/sharp/pinchy pain. Don’t forget to breathe. As always, consult a medical professional before engaging in any movement, especially if you have any injuries.
PRE-SHIFT
TOE AND FOOT LOVE:
- Shoes off, stand with feet shoulder width apart
- Feel all four corners of your feet on the ground
- Lift only your big toe while keeping the other four toes pressed to the floor
- Switch by pressing the big toe down and lifting the four toes
- Do this 10 times
- Lift all toes of the ground, splay them apart
- Hold, then lower each toe individually starting from the pinky toe in towards big toe
- Do this 10 times
CALF STRETCH AND RAISE:
- Shoes off, stand facing a wall on a yoga block or thick book with toes and ball of feet on the block and heels off
- Lower heels to stretch through calf
- Rise up on tiptoes
- Either both feet at the same time or alternate from one foot to the other
- Do this 10 times
TAPPING, SWEEPING AND FEELING YOURSELF IN SPACE:
- Stand with feet hip distance apart with a slight external rotation from the upper thighbones, toes pointing outwards and root through the feet
- Shift your weight from side to side, gently swaying from right to left staying rooted in your feet, arms at your sides
- Eyes can stay open, closed, gazed softened or focused on a fixed point
- Bend fingers to create a cup shape and start to sweet or tap your arms with cupped hands and take it down all the way to the fronts and backs of legs, back up to low back, shoulders, glutes, abdomen and to the chest
- Rub the hands together to create heat and cup your hands to trap the heat. Bring cupped hands over closed eyes to feel the heat over your eyes
- Release the hands and blink the eyes open or start to focus your gaze
SHOULDER AND HAND LOVE:
- Stand feet hip width distance or sit with feet on the ground, arms to your sides
- Draw shoulders to up towards ears and roll them back to widen through the collarbone, switch directions to roll the shoulders forward to widen behind the shoulder blades
- Extend arms straight in front of you at shoulder level with palms to the ground and fingers pointing forward away from you
- Open and close the hands rapidly, like you are flicking water off your fingers
- Return to fingers facing forward. With crown of head reaching up skyward, widen the space in between the shoulder blades and glide the hands forwards as if someone is pulling your fingers
- Reverse the shape and draw your shoulder blades together, widening through the collarbone
- Do this 5 times and rest arms
- Return arms to shoulder level and point fingers towards the sky so palms face in front of you, repeat the movement squeezing and and widening the shoulder blades with palms in a high-five shape
- Do this 5 times and rest arms
- Return arms to shoulder level and point fingers down to the ground, repeat the movement squeezing and and widening the shoulder blades with backs of hands
- Do this 5 times and rest arms
- Return arms to shoulder level and palms face towards each other
- Bend one elbow as you draw the arm back and keep the other straight ke you are about to shoot a bow and arrow, rotate through the low ribs and look towards the side of the bent elbow
- Do this 5 times on each side
BARRE AT THE BAR (OR BAR STOOL):
- Stand facing the bar or the back of a bar stool or chair
- Place both hands on the bar/back of chair and take a few steps back until you can hinge at the hips to look towards the ground and arms are straight-ish and biceps frame ears
- Standing “downward facing dog”: sit hips back with legs either straight or with a soft bend in the knees, pedal the feet by bending one knee as the other straightens, lifting the heels
- Root both feet into the ground with a soft bend in the knees
- Lift one hand as the opposite knee bends to lift a straight arm skyward and open the chest and find rotation through the low ribs, look towards outstretched fingers. Repeat on other side
- Stand with feet parallel to the bar/back of chair, one hand on the bar/back of chair, other arm at shoulder level with palm facing up
- Knee circles: Bend the knee furthest from the bar in front of you, foot parallel to the floor
- Open the knee to the side like a door opening
- Kick your foot back with knee still bent. Repeat the circle in one direction 5 times then switch directions
- Side stretch: Cross the foot closest to the bar over the other foot as you side bend towards the bar/back of chair, sweeping the arm up over head
- Hold here
- Option to rotate from the low ribs, keeping the collarbone wide as the heart shines towards the ground
- Unwind the rotation to look forward and sweep the arm back to shoulder level
POST-SHIFT
BREATHE AND STRETCH:
- Take a big breath!
- Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth with a big audible breath or sigh. Do this as many times as you need!
- Draw a circle with your arms to reach hands to the overhead as you inhale, creating lots of space for your lungs to expand
- Draw a circle down to sweep hands down to your sides as you exhale
- Option to roll down to a forward fold as the arms release down: tuck chin to throat, drip head towards the ground as you roll down releasing the spine bone by bone, arms heavy until you are in a forward fold, take hold of opposite elbows to cradle your arms as you sway side to side
- Release the arms to hang down to the ground as you restack the spine bone by bone, keeping chin tucked to throat, until you’re standing and head arrives last. Sweep hands back up to sky
- Repeat as many times as needed!
SHAKE AND BOUNCE:
- Shoes on or off, stand with feet shoulder-width apart either parallel or with a slight external rotation
- Root into all four corners of the feet feeling the ground beneath your feet
- Gently bend and straighten the knees to gradually take you into a buoyant bounce
- Let the bounce travel up your body as you start to shake out the arms and hands
- Nod the head ‘no’ from side to side
- Now you’re shaking it all off
- Gradually slow down from a shake to a gentler bounce into a pause
- Place both hands on the heart or one hand on the heart and one on the bellybutton. Breathe into your hands and feel the vibration of the movement slow down
CAT-COW SPINAL MOVEMENT (2 VERSIONS):
Seated:
- Sit on chair or couch with feet rooted on the floor
- Stack head and ribs over pelvis reaching crown of the head to ceiling, place hands on tops of thighs
- CAT: Inhale. Keeping feet on floor, tuck chin towards throat, glide hands towards the knees and roll off sitting bones to ROUND the spine,
- COW: Exhale. Untuck chin from throat, glide hands towards you, openUnfurl and reach the crown of the head and tail to the ceiling, ARCHING the spine, looking up and widening across the chest from shoulder to shoulder
- Repeat 5 times
- Release into a something like a standing “downward facing dog”: Stand up facing the chair/couch, fold forward to reach hands to edge of chair/couch, walk feet backwards until arms straighten and biceps frame ears, sit hips back with legs either straight or with a soft bend in the knees
- Breathe!
Hands and knees:
- Hands under shoulders-ish, spread the fingers wide, press into pads of fingers and
- Knees under hips-ish, fronts of the feet on the ground (you can use a blanket or towel under your knees for support)
- CAT: Inhale. Drop the crown of the head and tail towards the ground ROUNDING the spine, tucking chin to throat, looking through legs
- COW: Exhale. Unfurl and reach the crown of the head and tail to the ceiling, ARCHING the spine, looking up and widening across the chest from shoulder to shoulder
- Repeat 5 times
- Release into something like a “child’s pose”: Widen the knees, sit hips towards heels, straighten arms so head is in between biceps, as forehead rests on mat.
- Breathe!
SPINAL TWIST INTO CLOCK (2 VERSIONS):
Lying down:
- Lie down on the floor on one side, head propped up on a yoga block on its widest setting or folded pillow
- Bend knees and stack ankles, knees, hips and shoulders
- Reach straight arms in front of you, palms stacked on top of each other
- Open the top hand like a book opening and follow the hands with your gaze, gently rotating to open the chest to the ceiling, look behind you towards the open hand
- Close the hands to meet and stack (like a slow clap or high five to yourself!)
- Repeat 5 times
- Move into “clock”: start with arms straight in front of you at either 3:15 or 8:45 on the clock, hands stacked
- Sweep top hand overhead, palm parallel to the floor until bicep frames the ear (your arms are now at either 3:00 or 9:00!)
- Keeping the arm straight, sweep the top arm back to stack hands at 3:15 or 8:45
- Repeat 5 times and switch sides
Standing up:
- Stand next to a wall with feet parallel to the wall and one shoulder against the wall
- Reach straight arms in front of you, palms stacked on top of each other
- Open the top hand like a book opening and follow the hands with your gaze, gently rotating to open the chest and look behind you towards the open hand
- Close the hands to meet and stack (like a slow clap or high five to yourself!)
- Move into “clock”: start with arms straight in front of you at either 3:15 or 8:45 on the clock, hands stacked
- Sweep top hand overhead, palm parallel to the wall until bicep frames the ear (your arms are now at either 3:00 or 9:00!)
- Repeat 5 times and switch sides
WALL OR FLOOR ANGELS (2 VERSIONS):
- Lie down with knees bent and feet flat on the floor or stand with your back against a wall
- Feel your head, upper back, and glutes cradled by the floor or wall
- Open arms to a “cactus” shape: elbows bent at 90ish degrees, palms facing forward if you’re standing or towards ceiling if lying down, finding width across the collar bone
- Slowly slide your arms and backs of hands up the wall/along the ground overhead, only reaching as far up as you can maintain contact with the wall/floor
- Squeeze shoulder blades together as arms raise, while keeping ribs knit down the front of the body, then lower the hands back to “cactus”
- Do this 10 times
LEGS UP THE WALL:
- Sit on the floor or bed with one hip next to the wall/headboard
- Have a blanket nearby for cushioning or support
- Lie down on your back and swing the legs up the wall, feet hip-distance apart or together with either legs straight or with a slight bend in the knees
- Scoot hips as close to the wall as possible, like you’re sitting on the wall and the floor is your back rest (you can use a blanket under your hips for support)
- Arms rest by your sides with palms facing up or elbows on the floor and hands on fronts of thighs/knees
- Feel the ground under your ribs and shoulder blades and as you breathe, feel the backs of ribs and shoulder blades spread wide on the ground as you inhale and deflate lighten as you exhale
- Stay as long as you need! To release the pose, gently bend knees to chest, roll to one side, and use your hands to press up to seated
Thank you to Campari Academy for their support with Independent Study Day for 2026.
