Taking up space & being seen.

Hello, beautiful soul!

Oh, man. Last week's focus on posture was so incredibly fruitful!

I swear, by song 2 of our first class last week, I already felt taller. :) It was such a great reminder that sometimes I don’t realize how constricted & contracted parts of me have become, until I take time to consciously check-in and focus on providing my body more space, lightness, and ease.

Then: Ahhhhhhhh! That feels so much better!

PLUS: your insights! WOW! Thank YOU for sharing your experiences, helpful tips, ideas, mantras, and aha moments with us. The collective wisdom shared last week was so incredibly helpful!

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Let's do it again!

We'll sustain our focus on posture for one more week to help us discover a bit more about our posture as well as have some time to really reinforce any personal adjustments we've started to make.

Again, we'll keep the practice super simple...

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The big questions this week:

1). How does my posture feel?

2). Is there anything I can do to help my posture feel better?

(lighter, more aligned, at ease, spacious, free, alert, energized)

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On taking up space & being seen...

Well, friend... I don't know about you. but I expected my focus to be pretty mechanical last week (i.e., back of the neck long, shoulders back & down, etc.). I was surprised when some new insights came that felt a bit deeper than I anticipated.

One of my biggest takeaways: when exploring when/why I would hunch, along with the usual not-so-great habits of mine I've discovered over the years (hunching over a computer, sinking into the recliner, hangin my head & looking down at my phone, etc.), I also noticed that there were times when I would often hunch as a way to make myself smaller around others.

For example, last week I was walking past a street filled with construction workers installing fiber internet in my neighborhood. As I walked, I soon noticed myself hunching more while walking along blocks lined with men. This wasn’t very surprising - I remember noticing years ago that I would sometimes hunch as a way to hide my breasts around men. So that wasn’t really new. But something that felt like a new awareness to me this week was that: I tend to hunch when I'm around women too. And not only as a way to “hide” my breasts… but also as a way to communicate a casual, relaxed, almost smaller, more submissive vibe. It’s as though I do it to show: I'm not a threat... Don’t worry… It’s just me… Your pal… I'm not here to compete... We can relax….  

I found that to be really interesting (and helpful to know).

Now that I’ve noticed how often I do that, my goal is to figure out how to stay soft and non-threatening, while also maintaining an open & upright posture. I don't want to be aggressive-looking, stiff, uptight, or robot-like... buuuuuut, I also don't want to spend so much time shrinking and hunching either. :)

Relaxed, friendly, and warm…. while also still allowing myself to fully take up space. Allowing myself to fully be seen.

Oof.

Thoughts, friend?

Do you ever hide or shrink yourself too?

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So... what should we do?

Well, that will depend on what you are noticing about your posture, and what you might want to change....BUT... I know that, for me, sometimes it helps to come up with a simple mantra to focus on.

Perhaps one of these would be good fit:

• Stack your bones

• Shoulders back & down

• Head light

• Strong center

• Balanced feet

• Strong glutes

• Breastbone lifted

• Solar plexus activated

• Head back

• Heart open / open-hearted

• Heart lifted

• Lead with your heart

• Strong back, soft front, wild heart

• Open your heart, but hold onto your will

• Bubbly head

• Spacious spine

• Aligned & light

• Collarbones lifted

• Centered & light

• Light-hearted

• ___________

Personally, I have an another one that popped into my head when thinking about posture this week. I don't remember where I first heard it over the years, but it cracks me up. It's simply: "Tits up."

Yep. That's the one I'm going with this week. :) 

I normally want something more elegant-sounding, but I'm gonna try this one because:

1) it's simple,

2) it makes me laugh,

3) it helps me lighten up (not be so frustrated with my posture), and

4) it helps me to immediately be more upright by getting to the heart of why I sometimes hunch.

How about you, friend?

Is there any sort of posture-related mantra that feels good in your body this week? Or maybe you'd like to join me with this one?

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Collective goodness.

Last week was so helpful. I cannot wait to practice with you again this week too.Thanks again for sharing your insights with us. The collective wisdom is so very powerful!!! I love that Aya is not only movement, fitness, and joyful togetherness, but also a somatic exploration club that is supportive, encouraging, and here to help us connect, learn, and grow together week after week.

THANK YOU for being a part of it!

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So: posture... taking up space... being seen... 

Let's DO IT, babe! Let's dance, stand, & shine fully. Let's allow ourselves to be lighter, supported, and aligned. Let's allow ourselves to take up space & be seen. 

As always, can’t wait to dance & practice with you. See you soon!

Much love,

💛 Dani

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