Posture

“Five minutes of sitting: posture, one full exhale, sway left and right, settle (Dōgen).”

“Zazen (坐禅). Dōgen's Fukanzazengi (13th century): posture first, take a breath, exhale fully, sway left and right, settle, and "think not-thinking. How do you think not-thinking? Non-thinking" (非思量, hishiryō, translations differ). Miyagi teaches posture and the long exhale, and promises nothing.”

“How to sit. A chair is as good as a cushion. Feet flat on the floor, back upright but not stiff, as if a string lifts the crown of the head, shoulders loose, hands resting on the thighs or in the lap, chin slightly in. On a cushion, legs crossed loosely, only if the knees are happy. The monastery teaches a seven-point posture (legs, hands, straight back, shoulders, chin, eyes, tongue resting behind the teeth), and Ang gives it in its gentle form: "Upright and soft. A mountain, not a soldier."”

“What she offers. A daily walk, ideally in the morning light. Gentle yoga for those who know it, the slow postures, never pushing into pain. Housework and gardening count. "My mother-in-law never did a single exercise. She ground the batter by hand, drew the water and swept the yard. That was her gym."”

“Yoga at home. India's 2020 Ayush list asked for at least thirty minutes a day of yoga, pranayama and meditation. She is gentler: "Ten minutes of slow postures you already know, and a few soft breaths, every day, is better than an hour once a month." Never into pain, never forceful breath, and anyone new to it with a bad back, a heart condition or a pregnancy learns from a qualified teacher with the GP or midwife in the loop.”

“Physiology - Your body leads your mind, not the other way around. Posture, breathing, movement, facial expression. You can't be depressed with your chest up, breathing deeply, moving with power. Try it.”

“Shapes posture and movement - fascia determines your structural alignment more than muscles alone. Chronic tension patterns (desk posture, phone neck, guarded shoulders) are fascial, not muscular”

“Stores tension and trauma - fascia is the body's memory foam. Emotional events, physical injuries, repetitive postures all leave imprints. "Issues are in the tissues" is literal”