HOW TO STAND
and how to be
hiii. happy thursday!
on my mind
my favorite thing to teach in yoga is equal standing pose. i teach it from the ground up—starting with the feet. i cue students to feel the soles of their feet pressing into the ground, to shift their weight back and forth, then i move to their ankles, calves, knees. by the time we make it to the hips and core i can usually feel the whole room dropping down, feel students tuning into their own bodies, noticing, paying attention on purpose. finally, when we reach the crown of the head i pause. i let students breathe in unison. then i cue them to notice the difference between standing, and standing on purpose. ask them to observe how the simple act of paying attention shifts the physical sensation. to see how effortful it is, to imagine how tired they would be if they remained standing, giving this much attention for another five, ten, thirty minutes.
i love this shape because it is easy to make attention the main focus. to not get distracted by balancing or twisting or any other motion. to simply stand, and be.
yoga is a practice of attention. writing is a practice of attention. they can both teach us how to be alive—if we let them.
an offering: stand with me (5-minute guided equal standing)
*as always, adapt and amend as you like (pro tip: savasana is just equal standing on your back)
**also as always, please give feedback, let me know how this landed with you & share any reflections in the comments <3 <3
an announcement
i have a new essay coming out next week!!! eee! i am excited and also very nervous. send good vibes my way and lookout here for more updates on that front <3
Billie, this gave me a chill this morning. Ever since college, a lifetime ago, my cross country teammates and I would do this practice regularly before meets and long runs. I've kept the practice up since then so that even today, before a race or a long run where I am feeling a little anxiety beforehand, this is such a wonderful practice to bring it all to the present and just be in the moment. Thank you for this, Billie
Yes! Standing on purpose is the first step to living on purpose. I love this so much. I think we sometimes forget how to be in our bodies and actually feel the bones, muscles, tendons doing their jobs. When we do, we feel more awake and present. Thanks for this reminder. And sending so much love and joy your way...for your essay and beyond.