Hello friend,
To stand tall is your ability to remain steadfast and resilient,
Especially in the face of doubt,
Judgment,
And indecisiveness.
The fable of the tortoise and the hare cleverly exemplifies this concept and for those of you who are unfamiliar,
Visualize a sunny meadow where a proud hare stands tall,
Brimming with confidence while a humble tortoise looks on with quiet determination.
The hare with his swift legs and boasting spirit challenges the tortoise to a race,
Convinced he will win with ease.
So as the race begins,
The hare darts forward leaving the tortoise far behind,
But instead of rushing,
The tortoise moves steadily,
Placing one foot in front of the other,
Embodying persistence in the face of doubt,
While the hare,
Overly confident,
Stops to take a nap,
Believing he has plenty of time.
Withstanding tallness,
Persistence,
And resilience,
The tortoise keeps moving forward,
Unwavering in his commitment to simply finish the race.
Allow this lesson to wash over you,
Reminding you that true success comes not from speed or overconfident assumptions,
But in a steady effort to continue.
It's a powerful reminder to keep moving forward on your journey,
No matter the obstacles,
And it all starts with your ability to stand tall in your presence.
So for about the next 10 minutes you will practice standing tall in your presence.
Find refuge in a space where it is unlikely that you will be disturbed.
Stand tall,
Feet or hip width distance apart,
Roll your shoulders up towards your ears and retract them into your back and down your spine.
Keep your arms relaxed by your sides and close your eyes.
Feel the earth beneath your feet,
Steady and supported.
Gently press your weight into your toes,
Causing you to lean slightly forward.
This is reminiscent of when you are in a state of anxiety.
A subtle attempt to remain ahead of this present moment,
As if to heat off any impending worry,
Fueled by a tagline of responding to a variety of what-ifs.
When you lean ahead of the present moment,
You are caught in a breathless pursuit of what is yet to come.
Notice the pattern of your breath as you lean forward ahead of this moment and into this moment.
Feel the sensations that it creates in your body.
Now lean back into your heels,
It's as though the weight of the past is tugging at you,
Pulling you back.
Hear you linger into the echoes of what once was,
Retreating into memories held captive by what you cannot change.
Here your posture exemplifies sadness,
Regrets.
As you stand here in the weight in your heels in this imbalanced state,
What does it feel like in your body as you cling onto the past?
How has your breath changed in this new state of being behind the present moment?
Now ground down through all four corners of your feet,
Find your center,
Your balance.
As you arrive into the present moment,
Distributing your weight equally from front to back,
Left to right,
And in this balanced,
Neutral position,
Breathing in deeply,
Feeling the air rise from your feet to the top of your head,
And then breathe out completely,
Releasing thoughts of the past and future.
With every breath here,
You grow more centered,
More balanced,
More present and at peace.
Being here for a few minutes longer,
Standing tall,
In your center,
Balanced in this moment.
And should your mind attempt to pull you into the future or push you back into the past,
Simply ground down once more through all four corners of your feet,
Breathe in deeply,
And begin again.
Watch the time.
Begin to bring your awareness to the space back that surrounds you,
Keeping your eyes closed just for a moment longer.
I'd like you to reflect on a brief poem by Emily Dickinson,
Which goes,
We never know how high we are,
Till we are called to rise.
And then if we are true to plan,
Our statures touch the sky.
Know that true strength is found in the gentle embrace of the present moment,
Where you are neither rushed by the whispers of tomorrow or anchored by the echoes of yesterday.
May your mind,
Your body and spirit learn to stand tall and rise,
Just like the tortoise's journey was steady and wise.
Until we meet again,
Namaste.
