Boost clarity and energy with posture, poise, and playful ambidexterity

In workshops, I used to watch smart people slump slowly as the day wore on. Energy dipped, tempers shortened, ideas got thinner. We tried longer breaks, more snacks, stronger coffee. The fix that worked best was simpler. Ten minutes on the floor with knees up and the head resting on a couple of paperback books, breathing easy while the neck softened. When people stood up, they were taller, clearer, and nicer.

A VP once laughed at the suggestion. He did the reset anyway. After lunch, he walked back in and said, “That was weirdly powerful.” He kept a spare stack of paperbacks by his desk after that. We added cross‑lateral refreshers to meetings: right hand to left knee, left hand to right knee, ten times. It broke stiffness and the habit of sitting still while trying to think hard. The room felt more awake in sixty seconds than after any playlist.

We played with ambidexterity too. Writing a sentence with the non‑dominant hand dropped people into beginner’s mind in ten seconds. Juggling for two minutes without caring about drops tuned up attention and made the whole room smile. It looked like play. It was play. And it unlocked focus because the body and brain were talking again.

These resets are based on simple biomechanics and coordination drills that improve breathing, reduce unnecessary muscular effort, and strengthen cross‑hemisphere communication. Good posture isn’t about rigidly “sitting up straight.” It’s about allowing the head to balance lightly so the spine lengthens and the breath flows. Do that, and thinking gets easier. Movement is a lever for the mind.

Before your next focused block, lie down for ten minutes with your knees up and your head on a few paperbacks, and let your neck soften while you breathe. Stand, touch opposite knee to hand ten times, and then write a line or brush your teeth with your other hand to wake up flexibility. Grab two balls and practice smooth throws for two minutes, letting drops happen. In your next meeting, use a quiet posture cue—head floating up, shoulders wide, feet grounded—every quarter hour. See how much clearer and kinder you feel.