Sitting and Standing and Sitting and Standing...

I use this lesson whenever I’m in a meeting that requires sitting and standing and sitting. Also good for getting in and out of the car - how many times do we do that in a week?

This lesson slyly uses back arching as a way to help elongate the spine. When you overdo a slump by rounding the back, the muscles naturally want to recover and will extend, bringing your chest up. Wow. It also uses bringing the weight forward and low to help move the center of gravity to a place that makes it easier to stand.

If you only have 15 seconds, try this when you are sitting with a book and find yourself slumping

• Rest the book on your lap. Put your elbows on your knees. Sink into the site bones.

• Push your elbows into your knees and really round your back into what feels like the center. Let your head drop and your low back round as if you were rocking back into a rocking chair. Come back to center.

• Round into a spot lower on your back and feel the difference in the shape of the spine, the chest, the neck. Back to center.

• Round into a spot closer to your neck. Back to center and notice the differences.

• Round back to center then sit up. Are you sitting up straighter?

And here is a version of the entire lesson. It was created by my teacher Alan Questrel and I thank him for it! 

1.     Sitting on a comfortably firm chair, notice how you sit. Without changing could you stand up? Just stand.

2.     Sit far back and reach toward floor with both arms….feel when back of thigh presses into the chair. Move forward and backward in the chair to find that perfect spot where you are supported and comfortable - probably closer to the edge of the chair than you think!

3.     Lean elbows on knees and arch and round…is there a center to the arching & rounding here? Move the center of the movement a few vertebrae further down and round and arch . Go further up towards the neck from the original center and round & arch there… Then back to first place original movement and arch and round some more. It feels good!

4.      L elbow on R knee, R arm resting on L arm, arch and round as turned here… . Then drape the R elbow over the L knee, L arm on top and arch and round on the other side.

5.      elbows on your knees, eyes on sit-bones and lift bottom up to look behind you with sit bone eyes, move feet back just slightly till it works… Then reach both arms behind you, palms to the ceiling and start to lift and fling arms forward, look at horizon, like a racing dive.

6.     take L arm toward floor between legs and R arm toward ceiling, fists in both hands and look at hand toward ceiling while arching and rounding… Do both sides. Really USE your eyes to guide your body.

7.     Thumbs at jaw and fingers at occiput, pull head to lengthen back of neck and pull yourself up from head

8.     Feet farther out where there’s effort, soft breeze coming from behind and reach out to get to bills with both hand as they skitter on the floor/ Feet underneath you and stand…quality now?/ Walk

 Stand, notice how easy it is to get up. And notice how you stand now that you’ve loosened up your spine and low back!