Just Stand – Breathe and Be Kathryn Sparks Carpenter
Do you ever catch yourself in a moment and notice how you are sitting or standing, lying down, kneeling or moving? For me it is like zooming out from myself and looking objectively at myself with compassion. This is useful in a variety of ways and can be especially useful when we are hoping to create more space and breath in our integrated being.
In the book Free Your Breath, Free Your Life, author Dennis Lewis introduces a very simple concept and wonderful opening for our breath to deepen. Just stand. Stand with soft, slightly bent knees and feel your tailbone dropped down, weight equally between your feet, shoulders aligned on top of hips, arms hanging softly by your sides, top of head reaching to the ceiling or sky. And just breathe…in this most simple yet expansive posture. Try it and see what you notice. When I am just standing I notice, first of all, that I rarely do this! We are most always holding something (often a device) while we wait in line, or we carry something as we prepare to bolt out the door, or we lean into one hip or the furniture or the wall. When are we truly just standing in the manner described above? I find it to be an unusual, relaxed feeling and also a very freeing feeling.
I would like to invite us all to just stand and breathe deeply. Let us try it for a day in between activity and rest. Let us keep in our conscious mind/heart this very simple practice of just standing even a minute at a time! We can just be, allowing our breath to circulate and refresh us. As we practice, let us find enjoyment and sustenance for our onward journey. Peace!