How to Lead Students into Moving the Architecture of Standing

By now, you should be familiar with all of the previous stages that make this powerful practice of the Five Stages of Self-Healing not only a healing experience, but one that delivers conditioning for the body, mind, emotions, and spirit. Each stage can give you an insight into the movement variable associated with each stage and the renewing sense of upright comfort that can be achieved for both stillness and movement.

Most likely you were clumsy at first when practicing these stages. Yet, practice makes you more skillful at not only modeling these moves, but also verbally guiding your students through the stages. Because the tension qualities in the Standing stage are more intense than in previous sages, preparation for Standing brought about by working through previous cycles must be used and treated as steps to initiate the student into resting in Standing.

Ironically, resting in Standing is how you move Standing. This stage is like resting on one leg — you appear to be still, yet, from second-to-second, you are coping with balance and you are involved in sustaining and maintaining comfort and energy flow. As the spaces within become compressed, breathing intensifies and the emotional impetus to move out of this stage increases.

Motivate your students to rest in Standing:

Tweak this dynamic move: Create subtle movements by shifting body weight from side to side; Lift one heel, or both heels; Integrate arms and hands or rest the forearms on the thighs; Use the hands for support on a wall or on the floor.
Pay attention to breath: Breathe deeply and fully and make sound; Increase the exhale and avoid holding breath.
Emotionally relax: Recognize the flight-or-fight sensation and talk to your body, saying, “Relax. Sink into gravity. Rest. I am here with you. We are preparing for a great event.”

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