In the next in this series of mini-articles, I want to give you a method I learned 20 years ago when studying my first spiritual teacher, Anthony Whitechurch.
This is going to be the single most obvious ‘thing’ I could ever give you, and yet I see it as the best way to sustain you being at your best:
Sit with your back straight
That’s it. I am not saying it will liberate you from all human suffering, or make you rich, or make you somehow more creative…But you will experience a profound change through this practice, (…and have less back issues too.)
You will find you no longer collapse your lower back when you experience most things that ‘happen to you’, putting you in a better position to respond in an optimal way.
The more complete instruction is this:
Sit on the edge of the chair, with your spine supporting yourself i.e. not leaning against the chair back. Bring your shoulders back, and your chest out a little, tuck your chin toward your chest and pull in your lower belly just a little. You will find your lower back arches in, a little too.
This is not just when you are sitting down either. This is when you are standing, walking, and your ‘general posture’.
Now, here is a further extension of the technique…
Let’s say you are preparing for a potentially challenging conversation over the phone with someone. You can get yourself ready by clasping your hands behind your back and lifting your spine up as if your head was being pulled by a string at the top. This will ‘make you feel taller’.
When you are on the call itself, you can sustain this exaggerated posture, and you’ll probably find you feel much more ‘in charge’ of the situation than without.
It is a super simple technique, but one you can practice everyday – and that will make the world of difference.
