"The shaking practice is not complicated or esoteric. Dogs shake when they get out of the bath. We spontaneously shake out our wrists or ankles when they are stiff. Dancing is a form of shaking. A mindful shaking practice will have transformative effects on the practitioner. As writers, when we break up the stagnation within our body, we open up energy channels, enabling us to sink quickly into a more profound and authentic relationship with our writing.
"This may seem too easy, or just plain strange. When I first learned the shaking practice, I hated it. It made me itch and it made me cranky. But I was told to shake daily for ninety days as part of my round of Taoist yoga training. I trusted my teacher, so I shook. After a few days, the shaking became less annoying. Then it became fun. Then I began to notice an unexpected lightness. I began to notice more energy and a more immediate connection to my writing — to the writing I was currently engaged with and to new stories floating on the horizon. Shaking helped me be more present. It helped me let go of what I didn't need, and it created space for what needed to move in. I had not expected this.
"I began to teach shaking in my writing classes, and I discovered that my observation was not a fluke. Students opened up quickly (after the requisite period of whining). Their writing became much more present and direct. They couldn't hang out in intellectual abstractions. The shaking allowed them to fully embody their skins, which allowed them to fully embody their writing. They learned to be present with what they were feeling and to let it go when the feeling was complete. In order to write authentically, we must know how to go into darkness and we must know how to return cleanly. Shaking helps us cultivate this. It allows things to surface naturally and fall away naturally.
"Here's the best thing about the shaking practice: You don't have to set an intention for it. You don't have to know what you want to work through. You don't have to create a framework for it to reveal its secrets to you. You just have to show up and shake and then observe yourself over the days and weeks that you're shaking. Shaking without an agenda, breathing without an agenda, and free writing without an agenda will help teach you to detach from an outcome. It will help free you from limitations in your work you may not be aware of. Shaking isn't about knowing anything. It's about not knowing. There is no wrong way to shake. It's the body's normal response to help eliminate stiffness and stagnation."
How to Shake
"Begin by standing with your feet together, knees soft, jawbone relaxed, tailbone slightly tucked, and your tongue lightly touching the roof of your mouth behind the tooth ridge. On an inhale, step your right foot out to the side and set it down. You're now in a wide-legged stance. Exhale. On the next inhale, raise your arms above your head while rising up on your toes if possible. Hold your breath and sink into a squat, coming only as low as is comfortable. If squatting is not possible, then simply skip the squat, lower your arms on an exhale, and begin to shake. If you do move into the squat, when you're ready, exhale and leap up from the squat, landing solidly with both feet on the floor, and begin shaking. You do not have to jump. You can keep your feet rooted to the ground the entire time. The shaking originates from within your belly. It can be soft and internal, or it can be more energetic and external. Each day your body will tell you what it needs.
"The first few times, you may want to pretend you're being shaken by something else just to get your body moving. Don't worry about what you look like. Nobody is watching. Once you get the hang of the movement, begin to focus on your belly in the place between your navel and pubic bone. Let your shaking originate from there. That center of our bodies is our place of power and stability. Imagine a red or orange ball of light in your belly. This helps bring heat into your belly and starts generating internal movement.
"There are lots of options available to you now. You might like to pretend that you're really cold and shiver. You might feel energetic and want to jump a bit. You might want to keep your eyes closed, or only slightly open. Try not to let your eyes wander around the room, though. You're allowing energy to disperse through your eyes when you do that.
"During the shaking practice, allow your mind to travel through your body, sending energy and awareness to your eyes, ears, nose, throat, teeth, tongue, shoulders, back, spine, elbows, wrists, fingers, heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, belly, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. You might like to click your teeth together and see how that feels. With loose fists, you might like to tap down the sides of your arms and legs or over your skull. Experiment with all the ways you can get in touch with your body. Linger any place you feel tightness or resistance. Allow your breath to move into those areas and loosen them up. Remember, where your attention goes, energy goes, so use this opportunity to listen to your body's wisdom and open up to a more intimate connection with your internal body.
"Some days you may feel like more vigorous shaking. Some days you may wish to do gentle shaking. The important thing is just to shake. Some days you write for hours and other days only for a few moments. Shaking practice helps this normal flow of things feel more natural and familiar. Remember that you are bringing energy (using attention and movement) throughout your body. You're waking yourself up from the inside out and developing focus and clarity within your mind. Think of shaking as an internal cleansing bath for your body.
"You may itch at first. You may feel silly. You may feel tingling in your arms and fingers. These sensations are perfect. Pay attention to your own body and its needs. Some days I am active in my shaking, while other days I keep my feet rooted and do more of an internal shaking.
"Each day, when you feel like you've moved energetically through your entire inner body, begin to slow the shaking down until you reach stillness, with your feet firmly rooted on the floor, your arms relaxed at your sides. Bring your feet back together and feel the sensations of your body as it transitions from movement to stillness. When your heart rate has returned to normal, practice the three-part breath once again for a few deep inhales and exhales."
Minimum time: five minutes.
