From the Editor's Computer
“This
is my depressed stance. When you're depressed, it makes a lot of difference how
you stand. The worst thing you can do is straighten up and hold your head high
because then you'll start to feel better. If you're going to get any joy out of
being depressed, you've got to stand like this.” (Charlie Brown, Peanuts by
Charles M. Schulz)
Are
you concerned about how others are treating you? Look at how you stand or sit.
Do
you slouch and try to hide yourself like a turtle retreating into a protective
shell?
Or
is your head hanging to the ground, like Charlie Brown’s, as if to hide it like
a frightened ostrich?
Perhaps your chin thrust forward, along with your chest, as you puff up
in an attempt to intimidate like a bulldog?
Shape-shifting isn’t a mythical ritual that only special healers can
accomplish. All of us change our shape
(stance) every day, mostly unconsciously.
When
we are happy, we are more open and our movements are more expansive and free.
When
we are with someone we like, we lean in closer like a family pet waiting to be
petted.
On
the other hand, when we feel threatened in any way, we go on the defensive and
our hackles are raised. We hiss and
growl, snarl and attack like a cornered beast.
One
of the easiest ways to make a change in your life and your interactions with
other people, is to change how you stand or sit around them.
Looking people in the eye when you talk to them, and not retreating,
will go a long way to making people approach you in a friendlier manner.
We can all do our best to stand tall, yet
flexible, opening to others, and life around us, as a flower stretches and
opens to the sunshine.
Beth
Read the complete issue of The Chautauqua here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Umxfp3MWTGI9BGSMGquWwkIfIDcyYbTu/view?usp=sharing
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