< 5 minute MOVE & GROOVE! DJ JP Labrosse will get you off your screen

June 25, 20243:00 AM ET

5 minute MOVE & GROOVE! DJ JP Labrosse will get you off your screen

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MANOUSH ZOMORODI, HOST:

Hey. It's Manoush. And for today's movement break, Boy, have we got a special treat for you. A few weeks ago, I met a guy named JP Labrosse at a neuroscience conference. JP is the head of project strategy and innovation at a VR fitness app called Supernatural. But he is also something called a mindful movement coach. He basically uses music, rhythm to get people out of their chairs and moving in really fun ways. He actually led a session at the conference. And we did this all together, and it was so great that I wanted to give you a glimpse into this work.

And I should say, it's more than just moving in interpretive ways to music. JP is working with university research partners to try and quantify the real body and mind benefits that people experience through these practices. So anyway, JP very generously has put together a five-minute movement sequence just for us to do whenever you want because I should note if you're driving, biking, jogging, whatever, you should save this for later. What you want to do is find a quiet spot where you're not going to bother anyone, and you won't feel self conscious because we're about to move. We're about to really move. If you're able to stand, definitely get up. But if you need to do this sitting, that's fine, too. Modify however you want to make this work for you. OK, so before we start, I want you to do a quick scan of your body. How are you feeling physically, on a scale of one to 10? Pick a number. Don't overthink it. Just notice it without judgment. And now I'm going to hand it over to JP.

JP LABROSSE: Hey, everybody. I'm JP Labrosse. I'm a mindful movement coach and a DJ. And I want to invite you on a five-minute guided movement experience in partnership with music and a little bit of your imagination. So to get us started, extend your arms in the air, like it's morning and you're yawning, letting in a feeling of sunshine. And then release your arms down to your side, shaking out your hands like you're shaking off some water, relaxing the torso and the shoulders. And hey, in a second, the music's gonna take a sharp turn.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

LABROSSE: And try just thumping your heels into the ground - left, right, left, right - in a way that feels relaxed, comfortable, easy. Left, right, left, right. And this is not a performance. It's not about what it looks like. It's about what it feels like. It doesn't matter if we're actually in time to the music. Eyes can be open or closed, whatever is comfortable. And modify anything I suggest to make it feel good for you and your surroundings and just see if you can enjoy movement and rhythm. This is a moving meditation. So if you're staying in motion the whole time and noticing what moving feels like, then you are doing it right. If something feels a little bit awkward or unfamiliar at first, totally fine. Just try to notice that with a spirit of openness.

Maybe you could relax your jaw a little bit more or breathe even more deeply in and out as you move, rhythmically thumping your feet, noticing how rhythm feels in the body, exploring if it's possible to bring in a little bit more of the entire body into this motion, a little bit more bounce, sharpness or even playfulness. You might find yourself emphasizing the right side a little bit more and then the left side a little bit more, switching back and forth. Eyes can be open or closed. So mindful movement practices like these are about connecting and refreshing the mind and body and moving in new ways to free up what might be a little bit stuck.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

LABROSSE: So let's try something new. Imagine you had a paint brush in one of your hands, and you were drawing some big, giant, slow-motion circles in the air out in front of you, reaching as far up, out and down as you can.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

LABROSSE: Involving your whole body in the motion and noticing how that feels as you do it, repeating that and changing anything so it feels good, enjoyable, drawing these giant circles. If anything feels complicated, do less. And new movement - some quick little zigzags with your paint brush, lots and lots of zigzags, the fastest zigzags that you can draw - could even be with both hands. How do the zigzags feel in the body in all directions? Up high, down low, all around, shaking out the body. Zigzag, zigzags. And hey, so, the music, as life sometimes does, is about to change.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

LABROSSE: And for 30 seconds, see if you can apply some extra intensity. Remix some of the motions that we have done or invent your own. A simple thumping of the feet, or a wild remix of circles and zigzags. Just focus on enjoying the body in motion. Ready, go.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

LABROSSE: Dropping into gravity, feeling rhythm in the body, accentuating your motion with breath, feeling all that's happening now. This is our opportunity to shake things up. Come on.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

LABROSSE: And in the last few seconds before the music makes another sharp turn - breathing in, in, in, in - breathing out.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

LABROSSE: Feeling your feet firmly rooted on the ground below you, extending your arms out and swaying a bit from side to side, envisioning thousands of other people moving in this way right now in synchrony with you, opening the eyes up wide, taking a deep, deep breath, letting the light in. And perhaps with a little spark of extra optimism, moving forward into the rest of your day.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

ZOMORODI: Oh, you guys. Whew. I feel so good after doing this. JP, thank you for leading us in such a fun and thoughtful five-minute movement break. I'm going to save this one to my desktop. Also, remember that scan we did before the break? How are you feeling now? I went from a 6 to an 8 1/2. So that is progress in 5 minutes. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did. If you want to learn more about JP's work, he's got a mailing list. You can find all kinds of other things at mindfulmovement.org.

Share this with someone who should get off their screen and move their body and feel embodied. And also, if you haven't already, sign up for our newsletter at npr.org/bodyelectric. We've got tips going there consistently with ways of living better with our technologies. We can scroll less, move more. Many thanks to producer Katie Monteleone for spearheading this episode. Audio mixing for JP's movement session was done by Steve LeSieur. And creative operations for the project by Ave Karp. As always, thank you for joining us. I'll see you next week.

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