Posture, STress release, balance

Anxiety is crunching in
contracting
holding your breath
tightening into a ball, into the fetal position

shitty posture is usually
a lot of the same

so,
let's have some fun

for starters: take off your socks

now,
the beginning refrain,
to test as we go along:

bend your knees and
easily reach down toward the floor
do NOT stretch or effort,
see how far you go with great comfort

stand up, and then...


stand next to a chair,
or in a doorway

use the door jamb or chair, if you need to

stand on your left leg ( if you are right handed,
otherwise, reverse)

with the help of your right hand, bring your right knee toward your chest

do this a number of times,
at least ten

this way
[ slowly
each time different, slightly
looking for the pleasure each time
sensing down to the foot on the floor, and all the vertebrae of your spine, and your breath
smiling, a little or a lot
aware of what you are seeing also

i.e. awake
happy & 
learning]
( this is the how to do the movement chorus--
for each movement I will now insert
[movement chorus]   )

rest

by putting your foot down,
standing comfortably and
noticing any changes

try the bending again:
bend your knees and
easily reach down toward the floor
do NOT stretch or effort,
see how far you go with great comfort

2.  set up as before, holding the right knee toward the chest
and now
bend your chest forward to touch, or almost touch your knee,

when your chest is as close as it can get,
straighten your back, bringing your knee along if you can

then go back and forth:
knee close and upright
knee close and bending forward

[ movement chorus]

rest
[[ rest chorus:
be relaxed,
maybe even walk around
feel your height in standing

bend your knees and
easily reach down toward the floor
do NOT stretch or effort,
see how far you go with great comfort]]

that's the rest chorus

3. stand in the doorway or next to the chair again:
alternate,
knee toward the chest
and
holding your ankle
bringing the foot back
pushing your belly out
arching your back
looking up
and breathing is fully
and
smiling

[movement chorus...
do it at least 10 times]

rest,
[[ rest chorus]]

4. Do all the above with the opposite hand

what?

like this:

on your left foot
right hand on chair or door jamb
( it's good to let go sometimes and play
with balance,
or
do the whole thing without help--
advanced form,
no help,
eyes closed.

ha)

ok,
stand on your left foot
right hand helping with balance if need be

hold your right knee with your left hand
and bring it toward your chest
easily

and then
bring your knee back, so you can catch your
right foot behind you with your left hand
and make this arch,
as above,
belly forward
breathing in,
smiling,
eye up a bit
feeling the arch and lengthening in your spine

[ movement chorus]

rest,
[[rest chorus]]

5 etc
you can switch to the other side,
and
I'd recommend not switching for awhile and taking a walk
slightly lopsided, just to feel the learning.

do recall that all the [[rest choruses]] including trying
out again bending easily to the floor

cheers
and happy
fourth

later, more on the pursuit of happiness

Posture, Golf, Flow ---- Movement Lesson

1.
Stand comfortably in your bare feet
bend your knees a fair amount
and easily
gently
reach down toward the floor

Don't strain
Don't stress

Just see how far you can easily go
and
what it feels like to be you doing this

Good

2. Now
dangle your arms in front of you, parallel
and let yourself round over

You are not leaning down toward the floor,
but more like collapsing into a ball
your hands down about your knees and no farther

Your pelvis rolls in,
as if your sex toward your nose

Your head flops forward with your neck completely released

Your belly is way in

Your back is rounded

This is "the center"

3. From the "center"

Let your arms float up and to the right
staying parallel
with your hands soft and easy

here your back arches
with your belly forward

and you twist up and to the right

you look up toward the right,
your arch your back such that your butt
is lifting back and up toward the back of your head

do this all easily

From here, release, and come back down through the center

In the center, you are rounded and collapsed
everything as described above

and
your job is to feel something new
and
interesting
and
pleasurable

each time

Then keep going to the left and up

arch
belly forward
pelvis again tilted so that the butt and the back of your head are searching for each other

you twist up and to the left,
letting your eyes go that way, too

4.
Do this back and forth 3 or 4 times,
always slowly
always sensing all of yourself
easily
and with enjoyment
the whole way through

5. Now rest, and feel your standing

And then retry the beginning lean down toward the floor

Is it different in feel?
Can you go a little closer?

6,
Now repeat  2, 3, and 4
in this way:

As you go to the right and up,
have your weight on your right foot

As you go to the center,
have your weight on both feet

As you go to the left and up
have your weight on your left foot.

Again, 3-5 times, easily,
with learning and
pleasure

6.b.
Rest as above
Feel standing
Try moving toward the floor and feel differences

7.
Do the movement with your weight on the right foot
the entire time

Take the rest and discovery at the end

8.
Do the movement with your weight on your left foot
the entire time

Again,
rest to feel your standing sensation
re test the leaning toward the floor

9. Do the movement in this interesting way:

When you go up and to the right, have your weight on your left foot

In the center have your weight on both feet

When you go up and to the left, have your weight on your right foot

Do it this complicated way
enough to be able to relax into it and enjoy it

9.b. as usual, after a few movements,
rest in standing and
re test the bending toward the floor

10. end this up, doing the movement
with your weight shifting in any way that
seems easiest and most natural to you

do this with both your eyes open
and 
your eyes closed

do it so it feels almost a movement lullaby for you

and
keep alert enough to discover
new facets
and new
pleasures each time

then stop,
rest,
breathe
smile

enjoy standing and bending at the end
and walk around a bit following your breathing
and enjoying any increased clarity of vision

take some quiet movement or sitting
or even lying down time,
before you head to the next activity
good

Doing it better, vs Doing it Right

You know, gentle reader, this is a trap that can ruin our lives:
the wish to get something right.

The fervor to help another be right.

The pressure to perform something just right.

And besides killing the fun, what's wrong with this strategy
of
"getting it right?"

Let's take someone trying to improve their golf.


The choices are: going for doing it right
and
going for doing it better

Here are some possibilities each way:

Doing it Right

1. Being chronically tense, because you are "trying" so hard

2 Missing the moment by having your attention on what "right" "should" be

3. Going slightly crazy always comparing right to what you are doing, and having a stream of reasons why what you are doing is "wrong"

4. And if, miracle on miracle, you slog through all that and hit the ball "right," Then that's it. Your at the upper limit. It can't get any better. Shucks.

Now,
in this other world,
the world of Now
and the world of Curiosity
and the world of Discovery
which is to say the fertile fields of Doing it Better

there are all sort of possibilities

Better at being relaxed
Better at sensing your feet
Better at sensing your back
Better at breathing
Better at looking at the ball and the world
Better and sensing each finger
Each toe
Each vertebrae
The weight on your feet
the freedom in your neck
the breeze in the trees
the joy of being alive
the sun on your skin
the songs of the birds


all that being alive hooey

which isn't for everyone.
lots of dead people
lots of rocks and water molecules that never got to be alive,
or not yet anyway

skip that detour:
we are alive.

better at being alive
and the joy of discovery and learning
and how
would that play out on the golf course

and perhaps PLAY out is a good way to say it

ciao
for
NOW
Chris

Day 29: Sunday: Laziness is next to Godliness

I had a friend once who said that:
"Laziness is next to Godliness."

And you know
and I know
what he meant:
do a little or a lot less,
less effort,
less do-ing
more be-ing

especially on Sunday,
what with even God resting,
at least in the Bible

though maybe She went surfing
or played golf as her rest

who knows?

and for you and me today,
let's play in the fields of easy:

let's do the simple things:
nap
and read
and less computer
(almost none, or all ways none)

and sensing the breathing
and the gravity on our bones

and that's enough

laziness without awareness is
fine
if the mind is empty

and if it's up to its usual chatter
look for the silence behind the chatter

and do a little less
a lot less
and sense the breahing
your breathing
and sense gravity

and
oh yeah,
one more "little thing"
remember that you are alive:

Good.