Month: July 2017

Breath awareness for health and survival

Breathing is such a basic function that it becomes invisible to us. Paying attention to our breath leads to a greater awareness and thus ability to do what is needed.

Do the work.

 

  1. Exhale slowly as you walk on your feet or on your fists and feet later on and pay attention to the tightening of the abdomen and the emotions that run through you. Continue to the edge of discomfort and let the breath come back in naturally without pressing it back in. Let the negative tension teach you deeper relaxation.
  2. Inhale slowly as you walk on your feet or on your fists and feet later on and pay attention to the growing pressure in the abdomen and the emotions that run through you. Continue to the edge of discomfort and let the breath release without pressing it out. Let the breath teach you to release inner tension as needed and hold yourself from within rather than from the shell.
  3. Make a constant sound as you inhale (it can be a rasping noise too) and either roll or let someone push you. Mind the changes in the sound and work with movement, tension and pressure to lower the changes made by contact. Let the changes in pressure teach you to manage your inner pressure and alignment dynamically and adjust according to what happens in the moment.
  4. Make a constant sound as you exhale and either roll or let someone bend and twist you. Mind the changes in the sound and work with movement, tension and pressure to lower the changes made by contact. Let the changes in pressure teach you to manage your inner pressure and alignment dynamically and adjust according to what happens in the moment.
  5. Hold your breath and count your heart beats. Listen to the tempo as well and continue until you feel a second increase in tempo according to your current ability. Let your pulse teach you of the limits of your true ability.

There is no secret. Just continue to pay attention.

Notes from Class: Save your back

We break weather we overload our spine or if we completely avoid loading it. Being smart about it will keep us both able and mobile. Let’s start.

Make your breath the regulator of beginning and end. The tempo setter.

  1. Stand a step away from the wall and place the top of your head on it with your palms between your top and wall. Relax slightly and walk turning right and left letting your cervical spine release tension and build strength.
  2. Stand a step away from the wall and place both hands or fists on the wall overhead. Release one fist and opposing foot and rotate the body to one side and the other and then repeat with the other fist and foot. Allow the spine to lightly twist and unwind.
  3. Stand a step away from the wall and with your side to the wall. Raise your arm that is further from the wall overhead and arch your spine upwards and toward the wall. Once you touch the wall, press against it from your feet and return to the start. Repeat to each side.
  4. Place your back on the ground and your legs folded together with your ankles close to your behind. Raise your hips in a circle in one way and then the other. Make sure you allow your lower back to relax to the ground each time and initiate the movement from the breath and at the same time the back and the legs.
  5. Place yourself on one fist and both feet. Bend at the hips till you create a straight line with your upper body and arm and back down. Change arms and repeat. Focus on moving smoothly under control and balancing.
  6. Place yourself on your fists and toes facing downward. Bring your ground contact points to the sides of your body and slide from side to side parallel to the ground and close to it.
  7. Place yourself on your fists and toes facing upwards. Bring your contact points in alignment with your spine and slide forward and back side parallel to the ground and close to it.
  8. Place yourself on your fists and toes facing downward. Bring one arm and opposing leg in the air and arch them to meet over your back. Repeat for both sides. Allow the neck to move with the movement of the rest of the spine.
  9. Place yourself on your feet in a squat. Release one knee forward and opposing behind backwards and roll back into a shoulders stand without placing yourself on your spine. Rock back with your breath to your feet and repeat to the other side.
  10. Place yourself on your knees and shins. Rock forward and transfer your mass to your fists and advance yourself a step. Repeat and let the breath distribute the tension in your body evenly.
  11. Place yourself on your feet in a squat. Lean backwards and rest yourself smoothly on one fist and then both. Advance one step and repeat.

It is easier to help yourself and others when you are well.

Notes from Class: Contact continuity

An automatic clock is a work of art. Each wheel connects smoothly with another and the movement seems seamless. It still depends on the start and stop of the movement as we are not any different.

We breathe in and out with pauses and the spring drive of our entire body works to keep us ticking. Becoming more aware to this mechanism will enable us to move more seamlessly and gracefully.

 

Breath awareness:

  1. Lie on your stomach and lift your head and limbs in the air. Breather and turn to your back without touching limbs to the ground and back while letting your breathing create the tempo.
  2. Repeat the movement while letting the pauses between in and out to create the tempo. What we ignore will rule us. Remember that.

 

Pulse awareness:

  1. Find your pulse with your fingers to your neck or otherwise and start tensing one knuckle at a time in your hands with each pulse beat. Repeat this while you walk or any other action.
  2. Place your fist or foot on the wall. Press the fist/foot to the wall from the other side of the body (Your right fist is on the wall. You feel the pulse and move your left shoulder to press the fist to the wall)

 

Movement awareness:

  1. Lean on the wall and start rolling right and left from shoulder to shoulder. Raise your arms and create arching fists from your body movement.
  2. Lean on the wall and start rolling from shoulders to hips. Raise your arms and create arching fists from your body movement.
  3. Lie on your back and start rolling right and left from shoulder to shoulder. Raise your legs in the air and bicycle kick with the movement of the body.
  4. Stand up and work with a partner on pushing and pulling. Allow your body to move with the contact so each contact to your body translates to a hit on their body or limbs. Repeat the drill standing from all directions and them while laying down.
  5. Repeat the previous work but focus on wrapping your limbs and body on the contact naturally with your body movement. Maintain your freedom of movement as you go.

21 DAY RESILIENCE CHALLENGE

GENERAL INSTRUCTION:

  1. Each movement starts with the breath. Breath dictate tempo.
  2. Avoid locking your joints.
  3. Move smoothly. Noise is for performance.
  4. Tension is a tool. Use the right amount. Less is more.
  5. Technical: perform each workout three times a week. Preferably with a day in between.

WEEK 1

  1. WALK ON YOUR FISTS
    • 30 double steps forward and backwards while you are facing downward and your body is parallel to the ground.
    • 30 double steps forward and backwards while you are facing upwards and your body is parallel to the ground.
    • 30 double steps side to side on the wall facing away from the wall and with your arms overhead.
  2. ROLLING
    • 10 rolls forward and back from the knees.
    • 10 rolls side to side from the knees.
    • 10 rolls turning left and right from the knees.
  3. HANGING
    • Hang on the bar and air walk forward 30 double steps
    • Hang on the bar and air walk backwards 30 double steps
    • Hang on the bar and inhale bringing your shoulders into their sockets and release on the exhale. Repeat 30 times.

WEEK 2

  1. WALK ON YOUR FISTS
    • 40 double steps going sideways while you are facing downward and your body is parallel to the ground.
    • 40 double steps going sideways while you are facing upwards and your body is parallel to the ground.
    • 40 double steps up and down to your waist height on the wall facing away from the wall and with your arms overhead.
  2. ROLLING
    • 20 rolls forward and back from a squat.
    • 20 rolls side to side from a squat.
    • 20 rolls turning left and right from a squat.
  3. HANGING
    • Hang on the bar and air walk forward 40 double steps
    • Hang on the bar and twist your hips to each side 40 times
    • Hang on the bar and inhale bringing your shoulders into their sockets and your shoulder blades together and release on the exhale. Repeat 40 times.

WEEK 3

  1. WALK ON YOUR FISTS
    • 50 double steps forward and backwards while you are facing downward and your body is parallel to the ground.
    • 50 double steps forward and backwards while you are facing upwards and your body is parallel to the ground.
    • 50 double steps up and down to your waist height on the wall facing away from the wall and with your arms overhead.
  2. ROLLING
    • 30 rolls forward and back from a standing position.
    • 30 rolls side to side from a standing position.
    • 30 rolls turning left and right from a standing position.
  3. HANGING
    • Hang on the bar and air walk forward 50 double steps
    • Hang on the bar and twist your hips to each side 50 times
    • Hang on the bar and inhale bringing your shoulders into their sockets and your shoulder blades together and release on the exhale. Repeat 50 times.

Move under pressure – wisely

Here are ten suggestion to increase the pressure we place on ourselves while working on our health and ability.

Principle – example:

  1. Height – raise your legs to differnet heights as you do push ups.
  2. Stability – Do push ups on two hanging ropes.
  3. Surface – Walk on your fists and feet outside and choose your placing wisely.
  4. Speed– Slow down or speed up your sit ups and leg raises to spend more time on the movement and give your mind more time to understand how you move.
  5. Breath – Dictate how many breaths you have per movement or give yourself no breath at all to perform a task.
  6. Sight – Close your eyes and do one legged squats.
  7. Position – Place your fists/hands in different angles as you do push ups.
  8. Tension – Keep your arms tense as you climb a rope.
  9. Tempo – Set a time and perform differnet counts of a movement during it.
  10. Movement – Change the movement itself. Do a turkish get up without placing a hand on the ground, do a snatch with the KB on the side of the hip.

There is endless variation. Be free in your mind first and enjoy each day of movement.

Do not take things for granted. Learn something by making small changes every time.