Tag: position

The bridge defense

The human body is an amazing mechanism when treated with care.

Balance is overlooked these days. We try to become strong but mirror strong or strong toward just a few tasks and not for life.

Here is an imbalanced plan to help balance the spine activation and power arches. To stand tall, we must build two arches. One to pull forward and one to pull backwards. In the middle we find our balance.

  1. Lie on your stomach and on the inhale, raise your head upward and to one side. Exhale and relax downward. Repeat this right and left ten times.
  2. Lie on your stomach and on the inhale raise one arm straight up till the body rests on the opposing shoulder. Relax down on the exhale.
  3. Lie on your stomach and raise one arm and opposite side leg to form a straight line on the inhale and slowly relax downward on the exhale.
  4. Lie on your stomach and raise all limbs together in the air to form an X on the inhale and slowly relax downward on the exhale.
  5. lie on your back with all limbs in the air. Breathe and move to balance on one side (balancing on the side of the body) with all limbs in the air and then the other with no bounce or sway.
  6. lie on your stomach with all limbs in the air. Breathe and turn to balance on one side and then the other with no sway or bounce.
  7. Lie on your back with your knees together and your heels touching your behind. Inhale and arch up to a shoulder stand and release on the exhale.
  8. Lie on your back with your knees touching the ground and your heels touching your behind. Raise your hips upwards on the inhale and release on the exhale.
  9. Lie on your back with your legs straight together upwards and parallel and touching a wall or a tree. Inhale and arch your hips up and backwards to form an arch with the heels on the wall and one shoulder blade on the ground. Exhale and release.
  10. Stand a step and a half facing away from the wall or tree. Arch back and do push ups with both hands touching on the support. Move from almost touching the wall with your behind to fully extended away.
  11. Stand two steps away from a wall or tree and walk your hands down into a hand bridge and back. Focus on starting each step with a breath and shift the weight from one leg to another. Walking is a full body motion.
  12. Stand a step away from the wall and place both hands on it. Step aside and turn to face the in the other direction in a slight arch and repeat this movement until fully comfortable. Repeat with increasing distance from the wall and no small children passing underneath 🙂

Movement is the new constant.

rope strong

Strength makes life easier. We choose paths and follow them. Choose one that makes you strong in all your faculties and take your friends and loved ones with you.

The cost of being weak is heavier…

1.       Tie the rope to a tree trunk. Climb the rope from laying down prone and see who can do it faster among your pals. Use only your arms.

2.       Lay the rope flat on the ground and tie a kerchief at the middle. Start two people at pulling themselves at each end and see who gets to the middle faster. Try not to get a concussion and use just your arms.

3.       Tie the rope between two trees at shoulder height. Walk on your hands or fists between the trees with your legs walking on the rope. Use the rope as little as you can.

4.       Loop the rope around the waist, while on your hands and feet, and give the two ends to a partner. Pull them forward and maintain the rope around your waist by turning and twisting your hips and thighs.

5.       Tie the rope to a tree above head height. Sit down and climb the rope to a standing position and back. Use the body to create the best angle and mind your elbow angles as well to the best outcome of use of force vs use of structure.

Wheelbarrow walks – old-school tech

Walking on your fists is great. Walking on your first with a friend is even better.

Enjoy both rolls in this movement and note how the body learns to move as one, once tension is healthily distributed throughout the body. Let the breath lead the motion and relax your arms on contacting the ground to avoid excess tension.

Please resist the urge to push your friend too fast 🙂

Place your fists on the ground and let a friend hold onto your ankles.

Walk forward and back on your fists for 40 breaths

Walk sideways left and right on your fists for 40 breaths

Walk forward and back on your forearms for 40 breaths

Walk sideways left and right on your forearms for 40 breaths

Walk toward your feet and back by moving on your fists and bending the hips for 40 breaths

Jump with both fists forward and back for 40 breaths and mind to let the breath distribute and continue the motion instead of holding onto the impact

Reverse rolls and enjoy the work and how funny we look when we work honestly.

 

Ten simple tips for smoother movement in a conflict environment

Some things are simple but run deep.

Consistent practice of basics is the key.

 

  1. Instead of clenching your fists in preparation, keep your body moving and your arms loose like chains. Close the fist fully only on contact and look up Kime and use this as a principle instead of a specific tip.
  2. People have intentions. Bad people have bad intentions. Listen to what people are saying but also look as their facial expression changes and body language. The body and facial expression changes reveal what is behind the curtains.
  3. Mind the space. Pay attention to where you are and where you can go. People do not want to play a fair game if they have two working brain cells and will want to corner and gang up on you. Notice changes in groups and in how people place themselves as blocks and guides and how crowds act as one animal in subtle ways.
  4. A small force over a tiny surface is sometime better than a great force over a large surface. It is hard to overpower people under the influence of drugs or simply bigger people. You can though, concentrate your force on one finger  of a soft spots in the body and head to create enough affect to avoid being controlled by the sheer force of the opposition.
  5. Balance matters. Balance allows for grace in movement and the opposite of it. Play with balance by dancing, playing games and the like so that when you have to traverse ice, maintain your movement freedom when shoved and grabbed, your body and your intentions will be one. A simple game of walking and pushing and pulling on a sliding surface will be enough to begin this jurney.
  6. We are tool users instead of tools and everything is a multitude when pressed. Breaking bones in the hands and body are much worse than smashing a laptop over a rapists head and you can use your water bottle in a plastic bag to great affect instead of your body mass.
  7. Strong people are harder to kill and get better movie deals. Invest a few minutes every day (That reads EVERY DAY) in doing something that requires effort from your body and do it so it affects your cardio ability as well. A good indicator that you are on the right path are, looking back at what you used to do and laughing at what used to be hard.
  8. Healthy people are harder to kill. All the strength in the world will not help you with even a mild case of loose bowels. Simple things as washing your hands and not picking your nose will put you in the running to surviving the zombie apocalypse and eating healthy food and fasting will really give a push to the top in that race.
  9. Water does not break. Having goals will get you somewhere but having fixed plans will get you killed and controlled in a conflict situation.  Think of getting to where you need to go more than how you get there. A dynamic mind will look at problems as opportunities instead of obstacles and that will keep you in the top of the wave instead of sinking in the rush.
  10. Friends and family are a great power multiplier. Even two people going together will get attacked a lot less than two people walking in the same street but not as a group. Family can be a great resource of ability and support in hard times and even the young and old can fill roles that allow people to keep and grow their strength. An old person can guard over you when you are sleeping and a young person can go in places an adult cannot enter physically. Children pay attention to things adults take for granted and even in daily life, our friends and family are support and allow us to give back which is a basic need of the less sociopathically inclined J

 

Knowledge and people are worth more than the best gear and books on the self. Study, be a good person and be consistent.

 

And good luck 🙂

The doorframe workout

I have lived a few years in a tent. It made me appreciate buildings all the more 🙂

The door frame is a great tool for movement, tension exploration and fun. It can be used to ease into new movement and develop power within holds.

Here are a few examples of movements to build both power and freedom of movement:

  1. Stand in the doorframe and press your arms straight outward so they press against the doorframe. Keep the pressure for a few breaths while you keep your joints from locking and as you release your back and shoulders will release tension and build power over time. Play with the angle of your shoulders so the palms, backs and sides of the hand are against the doorframe every time. It works different parts of the shoulder, chest and back.
  2. Stand a step in front of behind the door frame. Place your forearms on the sides of the doorframes and do pushups or dips as you maintain the tension. This will strengthen your arms and your entire upper back in different angles as you place your body in angles to the doorframe.
  3. Stand a step or more away from the doorframe. Place your hands to grab the insides of the frame and lean on it. Walk up and down with your hands holding onto the doorframe insides and do it facing down and up. For a greater challenge, Place a sturdy piece of furniture to give your legs a boost and perform the walk with the elevation.
  4. Stand inside the doorframe and place your back against one side. Bring your clean feet and hands against the other side and brace yourself in the air for a few breaths. Mind to spread the force over your spine and avoid arching your bones against it.
  5. Stand inside the doorframe and place one hand and one opposing side leg on the other side. Breathe and lift yourself to get all four limbs in the air and hold with non-locked joints for a few breaths. Place with hand and leg placements and see if you can climb up within the tension. Mind your head J
  6. Place yourself in the push up position with your feet within the doorframe. Press them against the doorframe in the air and balance on fists on the ground and feet against the doorframe sides. Now bend your knees and bring your behind to the doorframe line and back while in the air. Repeat it while facing upwards and enjoy the movement.

Everything is your playground with a child mindset. Just do it at the right time J

Ten push ups variations you want to do

The push up is a time tested movement to gain power and health. Let us explore variations of it to further explore its benefits.

 

  1. Elevated push ups – If you are starting now with push ups, do them against a wall, then a table, a chair and then on the ground. If you are already familiar with push ups, raise one leg in the air and then place them on a ball, a chair and finally on a wall to explore different angles and further add power and fun to your movement.
  2. Slow push ups – Do push ups that take, one breath to do, do them over ten breaths, extend the time you spend moving and create healthy connective tissue and joints. Form a greater awareness to every passage of the movement.
  3. Less limbs push ups – Do push ups with one leg over the other, do them with one leg in the air, do push ups with one arm in the air, do push ups with one arm and one leg in the air.
  4. Four corners push ups – Do push ups with your thumbs facing: Up, Down, outside, inside and play with it.
  5. Bendy push ups – Do push ups that end up with your behind spiked to the heavens, do push ups where you end up with your bald head facing the sunset on a romantic beach and play with it.
  6. Twisty push ups – Do push ups where you start one side before the other so you go right side first and wrong side later (slight pun, bear with me J) do push ups where you take one side of the hips forward and the other skyward and play with them.
  7. Location push ups – Place your hands or fists together or far apart, place them one up and one down. Move them for each push up and remember to have fun.
  8. Contact push ups – Do push ups on your palms, do them on your fists, Do them on the back of the hand and do them on the fingers with care.
  9. Jumpy push ups – Do push ups where you push yourself off the wall, Do them in various angles and remember to ease into contact with breath and tension attention TM (Pay attention to tense only what you want instead of in reaction)
  10. Walking push ups – start walking on your hands/fists and add push ups to the movement.
  11. One more … object push ups – Do push ups holding onto hammers or sticks or ropes in a hanging position or not if you can do magic. Do push ups holding onto one stick rolling on another stick. Be free and add to the game as you play.

 

Have fun

Keep moving

Repeat

Get STRONG at an angle

Watching strength is inspiring. After all, most of the time we have the same parts as the strong man or acrobat 🙂 Here is a simple method to become stronger in degrees. Something that requires almost no tools and can be used for many people in many conditions and levels of movement.

Let’s take the simple push up for example. Some people can do many and some can do only a few. With a simple switch of angle you can hone your movement awareness, joint health and power.

Stand a step away from the wall and place your hand or hands (hint, hint) on the wall. Relax your body but keep it straight and do push ups at this tiny angle and subsequently little pressure. To most this will be a warm up or a joint movement but to some this can be a stage to greater strength from wherever they are. Even a strong athlete can be weak as a baby after an injury or disease and having steps to climb, allows you to progress instead of finding yourself at a dead end.

Now you slowly increase the angle you do pushups or one handed pushups at and in time reach the ground where you perform the classic pushup.

Then you can move a step or angle further and start lifting your legs up on a stool and then the wall or chair at growing angles until you perform handstand push ups 🙂

Sometimes giving yourself small steps to climb instead of looking at a mountain from afar will allow you to progress instead of getting stuck. The same goes for being stuck in a hold by a stronger opponent or another problem in life. Playing with small moves will lead to less injury and more ability to develop the situation and above all: When you do something, you cannot be overwhelmed or crushed by it.

Be strong at an angle. Teach your children to take steps toward their freedom without letting fear command a jump and loss of control.

 

Notes from Class: levers holds And joint manipulation

There are countless holds levers and ways to manipulate the joints. There are however a few ways to play with the body to bring our  innate knowledge into awareness. That way we are able to create those on the move and without trying to force one way over the other.

Principles for the play:

  1. Our bodies and movement are not perfect – there are always openings and vectors unnoticed and unmanaged in any given moment. Use what is there instead of trying to force a method you envision in your mind.
  2. Keep the far away goal in mind instead of the pathway you see in your mind. Your thoughts are possibilities. Let them go if they do not serve the moment.
  3. Placing a focus on the contact dissolves the connection to self. Move yourself from the center outward and each part freely and avoid using the contact as support. Each time we push and pull, we lean and remove our freedom of movement.
  4. See yourself and see your contact as one. We have the same body with little changes here and there. We work the same way and what is comfortable or uncomfortable to you is mostly the same to others. Know yourself and you know the other.
  5. Keep in mind that we do not know everything. Is there a knife ? Are there others in the engagement ? When is it over ? Ask yourself questions and know the value beyond looking for the answer.

Games to bring the natural awareness to the surface:

  1. Hold each others wrist and transition continuously from the ground to standing and back. Change who leads the movement and after a while have one move to get up as the other moves to go down.  This game with changing holding locations on the body or with the use of rope or stick will teach a lot of fluidity in getting somewhere without fighting over position.
  2. Hold a hand or fist on your partner and have them tense a part of their bodies away from the contact. Push or pull and have them relax that pat and keep moving. Place with your hand placement and body part tensed to bring to the forefront the awareness to tension release freedom and continuous motion. You must play your own game within the whole.
  3. Hold your partners wrist and start turning your own body. let your movement transfer to your partner without relying on twisting the contact point to allow whole movement to manifest. Repeat the game for the ankle and move up the limbs with care to keep learning and avoid trying to succeed.
  4. Hold your partners wrist and move your body up and down and turning to use it as the second point of contact to change the angles and press/twist of the joints. Make sure you are seeing the complete person and move with them instead of trying to control them. Go up and down all limbs with this game and see how you fare both on the ground and off.
  5. Have your partner hold you tight. Breathe and release the natural resistance to the hold and move your entire frame to use the others hold on you to play on your terms.

Avoid fast movement when not needed. Learning is about understanding and knowing, not about posturing as something we are not. Let the speed come to you.

To know fear

One of the stages of getting to know yourself is to know your own fear. Fear will control you if you turn a blind eye to it’s affects on your psyche and body so we will aim to bring our awareness to this as well.

One of the ways to learn the fear response is to learn how and when we bring our necks in. This happens as an innate response to a loud noise or unwelcome touch and is bodily explained by protecting the soft neck with the hard head and scull.

Most of the aggressive postures and movements can be traced to a fear reaction. All the hand movements are covering soft flesh with bone and bringing your chest and arms forward hides and covers your loins and abdomen where a stab will kill you sooner and delete the chances for future offspring.

On the other hand. A relaxed posture is neither closed nor open but mobility oriented as we are not stuck in the future or the past and free to roam the now moment.

Lie on your back with your arms at your sides and your legs together. Press from hip level to neck one side of the back to the ground so the lower back, ribs, shoulder blade and shoulder touch the ground together. Press the back of the neck to the ground and feel how this tension affects your thoughts. Repeat the pressing drill with the other side of the back and compare to know which of your sides is more tense at the moment.

Continue by moving your body from side to side as a worm to relax tightness and to ease instead of press the entire back to the ground. compare your neck tension levels to how it felt when you pressed it with force to the ground.

Slowly raise your legs off the ground and move you back again to better support the mass and change your arm position to relax more and more of your back to the ground.

Slowly relax your legs to the ground and use just breath and movement to ease all the parts of the back to the ground.

Now have a partner push and pull on you sitting and standing and note if your movement is more whole and less jumpy and tense than before.