April 7 2009 - Tip #188

Is There a Best Posture for Focusing?
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Orrin asks: "What is the impact of posture on Focusing and is there a preferred posture? I usually focus at my desk, where I have a speaker phone, leaning back in my desk chair with my feet on the seat of a chair next to the desk. I am conscious of my feet being supported by the chair, but also that they are in the air. Occasionally I will focus sitting in a chair with my feet on the ground. Then I am usually aware of my feet being more solid and kind of pushing into the ground. I'm not aware that it makes any difference in my focusing, but I am curious as to your experience."

Dear Orrin,
If you're not sensing a difference in your Focusing from those posture differences, I'm sure you're right. Many people don't, and that's fine. But there are a few things to watch out for when it comes to posture.

There are methods which ask people to have legs uncrossed and both feet on the floor. Why do they do that? Probably because that's a good posture for feeling "grounded"--in other words, what we call being in Presence.

Now, it's quite possible to be comfortably in Presence, able to be with all your feeling experiences with calm curiosity, in any posture. Here's where I confess that I often Focus with one leg crossed over the other. I'm comfortable that way, what can I say!

BUT... if you are having an issue with Presence, if there is something in your body-field that is hard to be with... then by all means give yourself some extra help by sitting with both feet on the floor, and support your back if you need to. Let your body show you the posture in which you feel most supported. I find that support aids Presence a lot.

Standing in a relaxed way, bending knees slightly and allowing movement, can also be a terrifically supportive posture for Focusing. (See all the great work being done with WholeBody Focusing originated by Kevin McEvenue, who will be teaching it again at the Focusing Institute Summer School this coming August.)

"Can I lie down?"

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The other question people often ask me is whether they can lie down to do Focusing.

If it doesn't seem to affect your Focusing, go right ahead.

But lying down changes brain waves, or so I've read. IF you lie down to Focus and it's harder to do any of the Focusing moves: staying with what you feel, describing what you feel, being in Presence with what you feel, sensing more deeply how IT feels... If any of those are harder than usual, and instead you find yourself floating into a more passive state and even sleep... Then do sit up again.

Or have a nice nap and do Focusing later!