Lately, I’ve been exploring ways to reset and create a blank slate, so we can start fresh.

My favorites so far are setting an intention and self-massage, followed by movement.

I recently learned the Set Aside Intention — a variation of a prayer used at the beginning of 12-step meetings — from Tara Mohr’s coaching program.

Here’s a version I adapted to use with clients.

Help me to set aside everything I think I know — about myself, this client, their challenges, this coaching session — so that I may be open to the possibilities and truths of this moment.

You can substitute another word for client — child, student, person — and another word for coaching session — conversation, class, interaction — to make it suit any situation when you want to drop the old and become more open.

The Set Aside Intention gives us a way to reset expectations about not only ourselves but everyone we encounter. It allows us to drop the old story and be open to the magic of what might unfold.

Similarly, I’ve been loving using self-massage followed by movement to create a physical and energetic blank slate, where we can drop the physical and energetic baggage we accumulate and begin anew.

Self-massage allows you to tailor massage to make it work for you. You control the tool you use — your hands, a ball, a towel — and you get to choose the technique and intensity of the massage.

When you need to reset, you can use self-massage just about anywhere — I sure do!

My favorite tool is a ball — one that’s firm but that yields. Beyond bones as you massage, there are few rules. You can learn specific techniques, but I often prefer exploring what feels good and pausing for a few slow breaths on tender spots that want attention.

Self-massage has the magical ability to calm us, ground us, and even reset our experience in our bodies. Neuroscience now shows the input we give our brains during self-massage improves the map of your body in your brain. How cool is that?

You could stop with self-massage, but when you couple it with movement, it’s even more powerful.

Perhaps it’s related to the improved body map in your brain, but after self-massage, you’ll experience movement in a whole new way. It’s almost like self-massage clears out the cobwebs and sticky spots, allowing us to move with greater connection and ease.

Any type of movement will feel different — whether it’s raking leaves, yoga, walking, jogging, dancing or practicing martial arts.

Self-massage provides the blank slate that opens up what’s possible for your body and how it moves, so you can discover it anew.

The Set Aside Intention gives us a blank slate for our relationships with ourselves and others.

Both open us to a new way of being in the world — relationally, energetically, and physically. Joanna Zaremba is a writer, movement and mindset coach. She gives people the practical tools they need to deal with stress, so they feel good, access their own answers, and take action toward what matters most. She has lived in the Cheyenne Cañon neighborhood since 2012. She can be reached at joannazaremba@gmail.com.