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71. Standing for Release. 4/13/05

There is a profound wisdom in the body, in the pulsing of the blood, the rhythm of the breath, the turning of the joints. Once we are aware of its subtle power, the body becomes a sensitive antenna for tuning into nature and other people.
The LIFE WE ARE GIVEN George Leonard & Michael Murphy

Before I get into the idea of standing in one place on both legs, I must say, as I think about this as a subject, I realize standing on both feet comfortably is very much an unfamiliar position for most. To view doing such a thing for a set period of time might even seem odd. Of the many disciplines I have encountered I know of but a few requiring you to stand in one position for any length of time, of course their are cultural situations like the military where we do this. Usually when people stand for a period of time the tendency is to lock the knees and stiffen the legs or to stand on one leg or the other.

By treating standing as a session we can do for ourselves, we learn to become comfortable while standing on both legs. Adding breathing with the principles of alignment (chin & arch), which I have outlined in earlier articles, we have alignment in place. The whole process of feeling our body this way broadens our awareness of being with the body. On another level the intuitive grows with appreciation for the nutriment supplied for performing as natural physical human beings with out ‘others’ ideas of how we should move the body. We empower ourselves by feeling our body as is. From the playful motion that comes as we relax our knees, to the potential releases from held motion.

We discover there are a variety of impulses radiating from our form as we stand. Observing childlike motions of rotating the upper body while allowing the arms to freely swing or to rock from side to side, we see that standing has a lot of content in it. The possibilities are an open exploration of our lower body as we discover movement wanting to be made. Feeling the naturally intuitive, releasing occurring as we surrender to our form of excellence.

One of the first elements that I ask for in a session is that one stands on both legs equally. From this position I can see how someone is handling the structure and assist them in finding comfort with the standing position. By illustrating the feeling of soft knees and the arch of the foot being in place while standing one can discern the logic or reasonableness that comes from this position. With our body weight relaxing and flowing downward through both legs and into the ground, we can bring the ideas of alignment into play.

By standing while relaxing the knees and allowing the weight to go into the ground through the outside of the feet, from ten to fifteen minutes, different insights about our ‘just standing’ will occur. Also, for many, some vibrations can occur in the legs that are releasing by nature. This vibrational activity can also become fairly active in the muscles of the legs depending on the individual.

One of the purposes of this activity is to find some muscular vibratory trembling and let it unravel. When working with most athletes and especially teenagers this vibratory action usually comes on right away. When this happens it demonstrates, for me, that when we stand with alignment the muscles can start to release accumulated tensions. It also indicates how fast and naturally our body wants to work off the restrictions we have on our own motion.

This was a morning ritual for me when I first started to work with the alignment principles. I would stand for about twenty minutes a day to allow the trembling to occur in my legs. The result of feeling freer in the legs was one of many goodies that would occur. The ongoing awareness of being comfortable in this position for long periods of time and in many situations was helpful for being with what ever was going on.

If an event was uninteresting I could place some attention on my legs and feel what was going on in my body. If a moment is happy and playful my legs would have different stories to tell, from the relaxed bopping motion of teenagers standing ‘around’ to some energetic movement that excitement brings. The body is participating in the upright experience without the awkwardness many people feel while standing and listening to another.

This is not standing ‘still’ for in fact, many little things will go on for us to appreciate about our body. We can release the muscles of our lower body and find a softer and lighter feeling takes place instead of a held feeling going on in our legs. Some people have told me they find the many events of the day provide them with an opportunity to feel the standing as more natural rather then an uncomfortable position.

Using expansive breathing, we can feel our ribcage rise and expand open, while the space of the hips relax downward and we are standing in the space balanced, with a feeling of grace and dignity. For the body, just standing, with awareness is a thing of beauty.

During any period of standing there are also other ways to examine how our legs respond to feeling alignment and relaxation. A more intuitive instruction might be “let your legs do what ever they feel like doing.” This could illicit motions and actions that may surprise you. At the same time what is being released is held motion.

The simplicity of standing on both feet while being aware of how this feels and becoming comfortable with the stance, unfolds as you do it.

“Faith leads you to a higher state of existence, whereas reason and analysis lead you to full liberation.”
Dali Lama

Peace

Posted by harmon at April 13, 2005

Standing in Alignment You Tube Video 6:38 ~08/19/2009~

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