In touch with the earth

When you are in standing poses and your legs and hips are shaking, you may wonder what you can gain from these postures, particularly since they are a modern invention and traditional ancient yoga only worked with seated postures. In fact, "asana" is translated as "seat".

Apart from the obvious physical benefits of strengthening the leg and hip muscles, as well as being one of the best ways to open the hips - even better than seated poses - standing poses have an energetic and emotional effect on the body and mind.

One of the most import aspects for me is the ability to ground myself through standing poses. Grounding means to be in touch with the earth and therefore in touch with reality, which helps with seeing things for what they are without distortion and inner dialogue. When in standing poses we can direct our attention into our legs and feet more easily and send the energy downwards - thereby establishing an energetic connection with the earth. When we bring energy down the body, we reduce anxiety and stress, which often manifests as too much energy in chest and head.

Standing poses are a great way to draw our attention into our legs and feet and to run energy down our body, establishing a connection with the floor. When we are more grounded, we are also more rooted in the here and now. So, next time you are in standing poses, enjoy the feeling of being more rooted in reality and let your legs shake!

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