Scots, Elves, Rangers, oh my!

(There is a song at the bottom if you'd
like to listen while you read)

Okay, everyone, 'Brave' is out today!  I'm going to see it tomorrow with my family.  Everyone I know is looking forward to this great movie!

As you may know, although I don't talk about it often, I have a real respect for characters and creatures that are wise, quiet, and wise.  Oh, wait, I said wise twice.  Well, that's because they're twice as wise as they are are quiet.  My romantic sense also loves adventure because of all the fairytales and fantasies I've read.  My admiration includes elves, rangers, Vulcans, and now Scots!  Yep, and all thanks to Merida.  Oh, and it may have something to do with the fact that my mother is a descendant of the MacArthur clan.

Anyway, because I have such a passion and, if I may say so, a knack for emulating these sorts, I think that, in celebration of 'Brave', I will spend the next month or so working on the traits that characterize these folk.  Would you like to join me?

The first step is easy to single out, and even I, who have worked on it since I was a wee bairn, need to practice.  I'm not the first to point this out, and it's often top of the list when you read anything on "how to be an elf", but it is perhaps the most important thing!  We all know that elves and especially rangers, do not go around creating earthquakes.  Look at Legolas!  He was walking effortlessly on top of the snow!  Or was it effortlessly?  What are the chances that it takes effort, even for an elf, to do that?

Anyway, first step is to learn how to put your weight on your feet.  Some people will tell you to walk on the ball of your feet, and that's good advice but let me clarify.  You aren't walking on tip-toe.  Your heel hits the ground but it's like instantly transferring the weight from your heel to your toes.  But perhaps you should first learn how to hold the rest of your body.  This article on how to stand like a ballet dancer will help you get started:

One of the first things a ballerina learns is how to properly hold her body. One of the distinguishing factors of a ballet dancer is outstanding posture, while dancing or not. You can find your center of balance by imagining a straight line running through your spine. In order to achieve the proper stance, ballet dancers must practice every day. In the beginning, you may find it helpful to lightly hold a barre for balance. The following steps will help you stand like a ballerina.

Time Required: A few minutes each day

Here's How:

1. Stand with feet in first position, heels touching and feet turned out, with knees straight.
2. Pull in the muscles in your tummy.
3. Tighten the muscles in your bottom and flatten your back.
4. Pull up the muscles in your legs.
5. Widen the shoulders, pushing them down and back.
6. Hold the arms down in front of the body, with elbows slightly bent and hands soft.
7. Lift the chin, lengthening the neck.
8. Breathe deeply and relax.

Tips:

1. Keep your shoulders down and open.
   
2. Look up and out, never down at your feet.
3. Glance in a mirror to check your posture.

(Obviously, this is how a ballet dancer should learn to stand in "first position" and so some of the tips will be unnecessary for your purposes, but it actually will give you a good idea of how controlled ballet dancers keep their bodies, and will help you get the feeling of how to hold yourself.  It will also tone your abdomen and glutes.)

Ideally, what you should be thinking about is lifting yourself off the floor, right from the top of your head.  Yes, this is going to be hard at first, probably harder than you think.  It takes an incredible amount of energy to keep your back straight for long periods of time, but if you keep practicing, you'll get stronger.  A good goal is to stay perfectly straight all through dinner - even if you thought you were sitting up straight, you probably weren't!  This article is great but is too long for me to post here (you don't have to worry about seeing or reading anything on this site).

Kitty may actually have the best posture -what do you think?

 Okay, that'll do for now.  The main points to remember are to walk like you're floating on air, to keep your back straight and tall, and to tuck "under" your lower back (sit down and sit tall, then tuck your pelvis under and try to make your back as flat as possible- see how the pressure sifts?)

Posture for a Healthy Back

If you have any further tips or if you need me to clarify anything, just comment!

Next will be breathing, because it is quite related to posture actually

~Meggy

 

http://disney.go.com/brave/index.html#/videos/ferguselinor/