Many of you readers have taken yoga class from me over the years. Even 10 years ago, one of the favorite places in the class was the standing meditation - where you got to "close eyes, stand and feel."
If you are taking with me these days, you know this "close eyes, stand, feel (now called CSF by some)" is an even bigger part of the sequencing. There are many reasons: the body gets to experience it's own asymmetry which then supports and accelerates the bodies balancing and healing process. Even just standing, we feel the body seek balance. Without us doing anything, we come back into a sense of balance. That affirms our body's intelligence and it's natural instinct to move towards balance and health.
It also is a great way to start getting in touch with the prana, the subtle body, the non-physical part of You. It's tangible. You feel it without question and in doing so, you prove your greater existence to yourself.
Another way to look at it is to experience pairs of opposites. According to Yoga Sutra 2:48, the effect of asana (yoga postures) practice, is that pairs of opposites cease to have impact. By knowing each side, we know we are not each side, and we start to find the place where there is no side, just center.
It also gives us a chance to experience and explore what is on those sides. In life, we are often oscillating back and forth between two poles: positive/negative, right/wrong, good/bad, you/me, etc... What can happen when we move so rapidly between sides is that they start to blur together, like frames in a film. When that happens, we may not learn to discriminate which is which. Starting with the most basic - what is pleasure, what is pain? In households where there is a lot of oscillation, activity, without times for rest and reflection, we may not learn what is the source of true pleasure (unity, peace, etc...) and the source of true pain (separation, judgement, etc...). They just blur into the same thing. And in an environment where stimulation is constant, and there are no places for moments of rest and reflect, all of life becomes one big gray blur, where we can't even see the colors, discern the flavors, experience what relationships are healthy, and which are hurtful. Instead of life being a learning ground, where we gather information about how things work and the effects they have on us and the world around us, we just keep moving, unable to learn a thing. Using all of our discernment power to just "get through the day." To just survive, instead of thrive. As we keep up this rapid rate of oscillation, we end up lumping our generic feeling into a big cloud we might call malaise, anxiety, ungrounded-ness, or even depression.
So when we go from side to side in a yoga class without a moment to check in, we don't give our bodies or ourselves a chance to experience what one side was all about. The cool thing is, when we do take a few CSFs, we get a side by side "taste and compare" right away. We do one side then the opposite side. Then assimilate that. The proof is in the pudding. I see huge changes in students at a relatively rapid rate. Once a student tastes the pairs of opposites in their own body, it opens doors to an understanding that goes beyond the physical. We begin to ask "how did that make me feel?" and "do i like that feeling?" "do i like the immediate effect, the effect after a few hours, the effect the next day?"
it's interesting that today the food world is very big into food/wine pairing, dishes done "two ways," and tasting menus. So we can taste and compare. Perhaps we enjoy these culinary moments, not only for the food, but for the experience of being able to experience both sides, collecting information to aid our future choices, which will improve our quality of life.
So when you get confused, scattered, can't make a decision, get nervous or fearful, just know that it's probably only one side of the story. So "close eyes, stand, and feel." Dont make anything happen. Just feel. The body/mind starts to seek balance, and maybe that decision will be a little easier. Maybe the picture will become a bit clearer. As the film slows down, you have time to edit out the frames that make you look fat or dorky. Maybe you'll have more insight as to what moves you towards joy, not only for the moment, but the lasting joy that exists in all moments. The joy that exists between the pairs of opposites.
Rest. Reflect. Then respond.
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