Self-Presentation: The Show Must Go On

Balancing and clearing your root chakra bring about strength and stability, the very qualities of a tree. Decide whether you want to do it outdoors or indoors. If you want to stick to traditional yoga and make the most out of the tree pose, you should practice it near a tree. Doing the pose indoors will also do just fine. It might help you concentrate better if you are doing it indoors. And he loves telling them. So much so that he takes it very seriously when someone doesn't hang on his every word. That's why you take pains to explain that you can't stay much longer even though he's deep into his story about being lost in Peru. Hey, Aaron, you try to cut in. This is a great story! I can't wait to hear the end, but you do know I have to run, right? Aaron pauses. He is leaning in, intent on sharing how he feared for his life. His hands are gesturing widely and he has a huge smile on his face that says, I'm in my element here. You decide to use your body language to let Aaron know you genuinely do have to leave. In a further exploration of gender biases associated with STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), researchers had people hire candidates to perform a specific job: a well-defined arithmetic task on which both genders perform equally well. When the evaluators knew nothing except the candidates' gender, men were about twice as likely to be hired as women. The bias was barely affected, however, when the candidates were allowed to provide information on their qualifications. In keeping with other findings, when the male candidates did so they tended to boast, and when the female candidates did so they tended to under-report how good they were, behaviors evaluators did not take into account. Only information about how well the candidates had done on the task in an earlier round helped reduce the bias.

But even this precise information was unable to eliminate it completely. How about men? What if men are evaluated for a counterstereotypical job, such as the assistant vice president of Human Resources? While this question has been studied less, it appears as if men in counterstereotypical roles experience some of the same bias-informed dynamics as women do--with one important exception: their likability is not affected. Male human resources managers may well be evaluated as less competent, but holding a stereotypically female position does not make them less likable. Stand up with your arms resting on your sides. Your weight should be equally distributed to your feet. In yoga terms, this standard position is known as the Mountain Pose or Tadasana. Transfer the weight from your right foot to the left. Then raise and bend your right knee. Your right sole should rest on your left thigh or ankle, but never let it rest on the left knee. Make sure your left foot is directly below the center of your hips. Adjust your left foot and hips accordingly. Let your hands stay on your side for a while. Next, put your hands together akin to a praying position with your thumbs in front of your sternum and your hands in front of your heart chakra. You take a step backward, physically distancing yourself from Aaron and his story. But he only steps in closer. Okay, that's not going to be enough , you think. You take another tiny step back and fold your arms, creating both distance and a barrier between you. Aaron keeps rolling and shows no signs of slowing down his tale.

Then you decide on a different tactic. You point your feet away from Aaron so your legs look like they're about to walk you away. Aaron starts to take the hint. He continues to speak, only faster. You dig around your bag, trying to find your car keys. Women, thus, are in a double bind that men are not. They are perceived as either likable or competent but not both. Biases about whether or not a person fits matter. Being disliked, in addition to being extremely unpleasant, can injure, even derail your career. Mothers might be even more affected than women without children. Much evidence suggests that stereotypical perceptions of warmth work against mothers in the labor market. Unlikable individuals have been shown to receive worse performance ratings and be deemed less worthy of salary increases or promotions than their more likable counterparts. This appears to be true for both men and women. But while colleagues have lots of reasons to dislike someone, from dishonesty to arrogance, it is only women, not men, for whom a unique propensity toward dislike is created by success in nontraditional work. This quote, from Madeline Heilman, one of the leading researchers in this field, can be rephrased more bluntly. Focus your vision on one stationary point in front of you. Press your left thigh (or left ankle) and right sole evenly against each other. Breathe in as you raise your hands with your palms still pressed together. Stay in this position for a minute. Step back and return to Mountain Pose to release the pose.

Repeat the steps on the opposite side for the same amount of time. Goddess Pose (Deviasana) - Opening the Sacral Chakra Deviasana, which literally translates into goddess pose, is known by other names such as victory pose, Fiery Angel and Utkata Konasana. Even though it is named after a female deity, males are allowed to practice and make this pose a part of their routine. The goddess pose opens your sacral chakra, which is responsible for your emotional stability and creativity. You did warn him, and you don't feel guilty for not paying rapt attention. You purse your lips slightly and stop nodding, holding your head stiffly to one side, as if to say, Sweetie, are you done? Eventually, even Aaron knows to quit. I guess you really do have to go? You can't even hang on for the bit where I stumble upon a local village and they invite me to stay for the night under the stars? You uncross your arms, hitch your bag over your shoulder, and jangle your keys. Your body is now fully turned away from Aaron. You look back briefly, shake your head, and deliver some parting words. I definitely need to hear the end of this one, but it's going to have to wait. Not sure if you've seen my daughter in a bad mood, but it's not pretty when I'm late. Because of our biases, we tend to react to successful women much like we react to dishonest men: we do not like them and do not want to work with them. Numerous additional field experiments have been conducted in which male and female candidates, otherwise equally qualified, have applied for the same jobs, and again and again bias has been found to influence outcomes. Whether applying to be waiters or waitresses in the United States, or accountants, engineers, computer programmers, or secretaries in the United Kingdom, or financial analysts in France, sex-based discrimination has been influential. A review of the evidence concludes that both women and men tend to be discriminated against in jobs that are associated with and dominated by the opposite sex. Men were discriminated against when seeking jobs as secretaries and women discriminated against when seeking jobs as engineers.

While the evidence is still thin, there are some early signs that we are starting to see a change in this trend. For a 2013 segment of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360o, the Heidi-Howard study was repeated at New York University's Stern School of Business. The students still rated the successful female leader as less trustworthy than her male counterpart, but they no longer liked her less. Indeed, they reported being more willing to work for her than for the successful man. In 2015, a scientific study reporting a reversal of this trend for entry-level jobs in academia appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The pose also strengthens your sexual energy, which can positively affect your fertility. Additionally, it makes your thighs and calves stronger and more toned. Just like the tree pose, the goddess pose is also done while standing. The pose looks simple, but it will likely make your thighs sore in your first few attempts if you are not into exercising before. So, before you carry it out, do some stretching and practice squatting. Begin with the Mountain Pose. Next, stretch your feet about four feet apart. Extend your toes outward and then inhale deeply. As you exhale, bend your knees and make sure your thighs are parallel to the ground. Stretch your arms to the sides with your palms facing downwards. We'll have to get lunch together next week and you can put me out of my suspense. With that, you give him a wave and a warm smile, and you're gone. If you're not engaged in the conversation or you need to leave, point your feet away from the speaker. This subtle move indicates you're ready to walk, so when you do, it's not so jarring. This action signals the speaker to start winding up.