Brother Richard

Begin to feel the soles of your feet.

in contact perhaps with the ground directly or maybe through socks or shoes.

Just notice what parts of your feet are more in contact with the ground than others.

Most people will find that the ball of the foot, the external edge of the foot and the heel are the parts that are in real substantial contact with the ground.

But there are others more flat-footed who feel the entirety of the soul upon the ground.

For a moment as you stand, try and roll your feet within your shoes or directly against the ground.

And just notice what it feels like to come into contact with heel, side of the foot, the ball of the foot, the toes.

Take a moment to grip the ground with your toes.

In moments of anxiety or stress, this simple action of gripping the ground firmly with your toes can act as a way of grounding yourself in the moment and in your body.

Gently then relaxing your feet, move towards your calves and knees.

Most of us, when we stand, find that our knees are in a locked position.

And again, this can be difficult if we're going to try and remain aware of our posture.

So gently and to the extent that is comfortable for you, unlock the knees.

Hold your knees slightly bent for a moment or two, perhaps bouncing on the knees gently if this is comfortable for you and if you can do it without pain.

Simply bouncing on the knees gently allows us an experience of energy within the body.

A lot of the martial arts practices of the different traditions insist on soft knees.

or unlocked knees.

This gives us a greater flexibility and greater awareness of our presence as we stand.

Naturally, as you stand in this meditative form, your knees will probably lock back into place.

This is what they are used to.