Sit! Sit still.

I have two jobs, dog-sitting and teaching Yoga, and in both I’m instructing my charges to sit.

Sitting is not that hard, but being still takes discipline.

It is impossible for dogs to sit still. They are constantly moving because they are reacting to every movement and sound that draws their attention.

We humans can practice noticing every movement, sound, emotion and thought, but decide to stay still.

What’s so great about practicing being still?

When you’re practicing Yin Yoga, the more you remain still, the more your skeletal muscles relax and gravity takes over. This allows your body to get more traction and compression.

When you sit still without responding to every distraction, you can access a potent stillness and see the distraction from a distance.

In my experience, when I let my body move as soon as I feel the urge, the distractions will continue to have a hold on me and my physical and mental state will not change.

When I pause at the impulse to move, I can feel it slowly fade away. I then reach another level of relaxation, in which I don’t want to move because the state I’m in feels so good. It’s a feeling of deep contentment.

Don’t just sit. Sit still.