Tip: Be still
A coaching tip for everyday magic
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If you’re not sure what to do or think right now, you’re not alone. It’s ok not to know. Maybe it’s even useful to dwell in the realm of not knowing for a while each day. In light of our current circumstances, which continuously pound on the fight/flight/freeze button in our brains, I find myself returning to the most essential practices I know, like this week’s tip: be still.
Being still is not paralysis, not checking out, not denial. Rather, I think of it as a tuning in, a deep connecting with the bodymind. Maybe the thing to do right now is open profoundly to receiving all that we do not yet know.
When I’m still, I become aware of the movement of life around me and through me. The movement of breath through the body, the movement of air currents through the tiny hairs of my skin, the movement of sound as vibration.
When I do this regularly, I feel more grounded and I also find it easier to think clearly and make decisions.
Here are three ways to practice being still. Choose the one that feels most intuitive to you, or invent your own:
1. Vipasana meditation - Often referenced as the oldest form of Buddhist practice, this is a seated practice of observing the breath and the sensations of the body. As your attention drifts, simply re-focus on inhale and exhale.
2. Constructive rest - a contemporary method from the Alexander Technique. Lie on your back with your knees bent up toward the sky and your feet flat on the floor. If you wish, place a book under your head to align the spine in neutral. Place the arms by your sides with palms up, or on you belly or chest with palms down.
3. Sit spot - I learned about this practice from my friend Tara Laidlaw in her wonderful podcast interview a few years ago, in which she spoke about leading and following in partnership with nature. Identify a place in nature or perhaps in a garden or on a farm, where you can sit in stillness and observe your surroundings. Return to this spot regularly over time to deepen your connection with the land.
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