Want to stand with no hands? Try this progression.

Happy Thursday! My kids and I are adjusting to new morning and afternoon routines that mostly involve biking rather than walking now that they’re at two different schools with the same drop-off and pickup times. Sometimes we’ll need to drive, but fresh air makes the extra hustle worthwhile.

Here’s an anecdote, an exercise and an inspiration.

Anecdote: Recently, before a visit with his third cousin (with whom he shares a great-great grandfather), my 9-year-old asked, “How far out do the cousins go?”

“All the way back and forward in time,” I said.

“So technically we’re related to everyone?”

“Yes, technically we are.”

Exercise: Learning to stand without hands is a valuable movement for building strength and mobility as we age. See this video for a progression to rock on your back and stand without hand support. A few months ago, I posted a different sequence to stand without hands on my Instagram page and heard from many people who couldn’t do it because of knee pain. If that’s you, just stick with the variation shown here getting up and down from a chair. Because really, being able to maintain this ability over time is the point of these exercises. Even if you can do a harder/lower version, all of us use a chair multiple times throughout the day, so it’s easy to habit stack and fit into an activity you’re doing already.

Let me know if you have questions or other tutorial requests.

Inspiration: I am thrilled to be enrolled in an online neuro yoga training with Adell Bridges. I look forward to incorporating what I learn into my public offerings. For today, here’s a list of a few things that are good for your brain:

Making mistakes.

Wobbling in balancing poses.

Moving your body in different ways.