A Physical Pose for Your Steady Persona

Even when you're feeling insecure or life is "rocking the boat," your Steady Persona, or the part of you that always remains firm amidst the turmoil, stands on that boat straight and tall and seems to find the perfect amount of gravity to keep a perfect balance.

When you're feeling unsteady in life it's important to reintroduce yourself to your Steady Persona. To reacquaint yourself with her practice a simple physical pose that focuses on grounding the femur bones.

What? Ground the femur bones? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

You'll see many proficient yogis ground their femur bones (Note: It may take someone a year or several years to do this proficiently. It does not always come easy!) They do this in a forward fold position. The hips must be centered over the feet in a true forward fold. The knees may bend as much as necessary. The four corners of each foot must be in comfortable contact with the ground.

Now....Ground the Femurs!
To ground the femurs, which are the large thigh bones, flex the quadriceps up and move the front of the thighs (also the quadriceps) into the back of the thighs. When this happens you may feel a slight tilt upwards of the sit bones and your low back may become slightly more concave (arched). At this point you may also feel (and this is what we're going for) a push of the calf muscles downward into the feet and a push of the feet downward into the ground. This downward motion provides a deep grounded feeling which will put you back in touch with your Steady Persona.

Work with a Teacher or Use a Prop Such as a Small Ball to Help
You may need to work with a teacher a few times before mastering this sensation. One thing that helps is to place a ball or a yoga block between the inner thighs and press in on the prop and press it slightly back as you perform the forward fold. This should help you to automatically lift the thighs up and back.

Start holding this pose for one minute and then work up to a longer amount of time. Ideally, to achieve steady results and reacquaint yourself with your Steady Persona you should hold the pose for at least two minutes (no longer than five) and breathe steadily making your exhale twice as long as your inhale.

As always, consider doing something spiritually or mentally steady to really support your Steady Persona from a deeper level. If your Steady Persona needs to lead one of your current projects you will need to support her on multiple levels.....not the physical alone.

[[[[WATCH THIS VIDEO TO SEE THE EFFECTS AND BENEFITS OF GROUNDING THE FEMUR BONES]]]