Power

A wise woman told me many years ago that the foundations of yoga were:

• strength,
  
• balance, and
  
• flexibility.

For many years those three served me well, and I focused on finding balance within the triangle they defined. And then I started studying martial arts. And two more concepts were added to my movement arts vocabulary:

• speed, and
  
• power.

Speed is easy enough to define. But it really took hiking the Appalachian Trail to grasp fully what was meant by power.

While hiking the trail, I had many dreams where I was given tips and tricks on how to make my hike more effective and enjoyable. I also was able to observe many deer and bears very close, in their natural states. To see a deer bound gracefully through the forest is one of the most beautiful movements I can ever imagine.

The message I got, from both dreams and nature, was to reduce my movements to their pure essences. That all extra wobbling, vibration, or sloppiness of movement is, in effect, wasted energy. And this is how I came to meditate on the concept of Power.

I started really examining my stride, and working on perfecting its form. Keeping my spine erect, my head level, and my heart forward. Moving my feet one step at a time with conscious intent, and firm footing.

Within the timeframe of one month, my quads had been tuned into highly efficient machines with cables of steel. I knew how to walk solidly with a heavy load on my back.

Upon my return to civilization, I knew I needed to continue exercising, since I had really enjoyed the benefits while on the trail (calmness, lower heart rate, ability to breath deeply and fully, general feeling of wellness, ability to eat as much as I wanted and still lose weight :). So I put together a basic exercise program that I've been doing 6 days a week ever since.

Just as with the trail, I started to really slow down the exercises, and to focus on perfecting the actual forms. I found that this was making my workouts harder and harder without increasing the reps. For instance, doing sit-ups without jerking the head and arms up at the start, keeping the heart forward and spine perfectly rigid for the whole movement. Or doing push-ups in extreme slow motion, being sure to keep the entire body rigid, and coming *all* the way down until nose and pelvis are barely touching the floor, then up slowly. But after a while, I wasn't sure that these slow motion exercises were helping me at all.

Then yesterday morning, I was in a bit of a rush, and decided to do all my normal exercises as fast as possible, with no cool down breaks. I was startled by how easy it was! And then I understood what had happened: by training in slow motion, I had built tremendous amounts of power, while at the same time training my muscle memory in perfect form.

So, then, the definition of power: being able to inject a maximum amount of energy and intention into a movement, so that when and if it comes into contact with something else, it will literally pass through it because its force is so strong.

What really brought this all together for me was learning the guitar. I've applied the same concepts. To work on chord progressions, I practice at like one tenth normal speed... and be sure to let the chords resonate for the maximum amount of time; then, when I speed up to normal speed, the strumming patterns fit right in, because my body already has the perfect timing nailed down for the transitions.

Antigravity Perfect Balance

Twice in the past month I have gotten, playing base, to this magical place of perfect balance with my flyer... once with Saki and once with Sally, once in shoulderstand and once in pashi. So, both have been with my partners full weight on my arms, and my arms stacked perfectly through the shoulders, all the way to the solid ground. And when that perfect moment of lateral balance is found, literally, the asana takes absolutely zero effort to maintain. In fact, it freaked me out so much both times that I thought something was wrong, and I intentionally pushed each of them back off balance so that I could exert some muscular control over the situation. I mean, its very strange when you are using strong muscles to bring something into manifestation, and then all of a sudden, poof! its like God just came in and lifted the whole weight of the flyer right off of you, like they are really *free flying*.

*next time* it happens, I will recognize it better, and just begin to blissfully laugh at the perfect balance. Soon, soon...

AcroYogi / AcroBat

This Sunday we had another Jedi Kula class with Todd at Jai Shanti. A good diversity of players. We started off with simple and deep therapeutics, then moved to some forward flying, advanced to forward flying bow, and just as I was starting to think: "Oh, this is all such basics!" Todd threw us into some serious full inversions, including both candlestick and some other thing which required SERIOUS abdominal / core pushes along with real arm strength for both the base and the flyer. In fact, in this class, I began to realise the limits of my body, and where some old old injuries came out.

Playing with PC was very fun. She has a joyous and confident and ambitious energy to her that is fun to be around.

It was funny enough how the class began. Late to show and just in time was Vincent(?), a classically trained acrobat and dancer who had actually spent several years in the Circus... like, as a real job! He gave me some very detailed tips about how to place my hands and how to work grips that really allowed me to get into the advanced work.

In the end it was Trish and Vincent and I pushing the limits of our bodies with an inversion. As I tried for the second time, I could feel my muscles beginning to literally pop in both my triceps and legs, like I was going to pull one. That scared me a little. Nothing would suck like pulling a muscle while upside down 4 feet off the ground. Nonetheless, I was determined to hit the pose, so after stretching and breathing and jumping jacks for a few minutes, rejoined the fray... and damn if I didn't HIT IT! BAM!

Once I was up and in layout, it was all about balance and less about strength... hooray!

We also began to learn about "wrist love" in addition to the core practice of "leg love." Good stuff all around.

I realised leaving (in a very high state) that we had really begun the transition from AcroYoga into Acrobatics. Great stuff. And I now know where I need to build strength (arms and core). Boom! :)

epiphany / mantra

Yesterday I was feeling suicidal again at work, so I left at 1pm and headed home to hug the children. When I'm with the kids (especially one on one), I can always just revert to my inner child and experience the pure joy of simple being in the Now, a smile, complete spontaneity without consequences, play, natural existence.

To my surprise, the house was completely empty.

To my relief, the house was completely clean.

I went about a little personal cleaning. Since my possessions can now all safely fit in the back of my truck, this is fairly simple. A little laundry here, a few pieces of old mail and file folders there. And then, I rediscovered my costumes and my Miata.

It was about this time my inner voice said "I can do art." It was that simple. And I heard it over and over and over again. And it brought a smile to my face. As I hummed, I remembered my dear old friend Belle, who used to pass out business cards that said in big stenciled letters on the back "ART SAVES LIVES". And then my hum broke into a chant, and soon the chant became a song, and I was singing! It was a wonderful beautiful harmony melody dance of notes, and it brought pure joy to my heart and lungs.

I Can Do Art, ICANDOAT, ICanDoArt, EyeKanDooArt, I CAN DO ART

I wrote on my door of madness, and instead of the robotic entheo-runes, out flowed natural, zen like calligraphic script! The big word said:

ARTIST

Throughout this I ran into little doubt machines, and I summoned my strength and banished them.

My first project, somewhat questionably (doubt machine again? BAH!), will be the manufacture of an art car.

1994 Mazda MX-5 Miata >>> Transforma! >>> The Mach 5

I got out the BEASTdrill (an old 1950s direct drive 1/2" drill that puts any modern machine to shame), throwing blue sparks everywhere, and drilled out the last stubborn stuck bolt holding the passenger seat to the chassis. I now have a pristine Miata, new roof, no seats, ready for mod.

My awesome grounded Georgia neighbor Hugh came over later that night and we surveyed the car for like 30 minutes, comparing it against my c. 1988 Fujimako MX-5 model car kit, mapping out the mods. Playa ready by 2009. Let the art begin! :)

The Purpose of Yoga Asana

I've been thinking more and more of my Sunday session with Monica.

As noted (a few blog posts) below, I think I lost 5 pounds of water weight during her teaching. And at the start, and the middle, and the end, she repeated the same wisdom:

"The entire purpose of asana is to bring our minds to a state of stillness. Some can achieve this in simple lotus. Others need to completely physically exhaust their body forms before their mind can come to rest."

Me, I'm in the latter. But lately, I've been practicing in other places. Like on the plane up here today. I was sitting next to a sexy young girl, and obviously I desired to communicate with her (and I did), but there were also times in the 3 hours of flight and tarmac that I wished to turn inward deeply (and I did). To get to that deep inner place, I thought of Monica's teaching.

And I did it again today walking through Central Park. And again tonight in my apartment. remain calm. seek inner peace. it will all be OK. :)

G

Jivamukti Part 3

So tonight on a whim, and really needing to get out in the world, I made my way up to Jivamukti and took the 5 o'clock class with Monica. In fact, I met Monica in the elevator of all places.

It was a full 2 hour class, and very crowded. I placed my mat front and center right up facing the altar and windows. We started slow and easy with chanting, then in no time she had us pushing through some high speed vinyasa flow. Strangely, a sign on the street said "Bikram Yoga" which I had not noticed in my past two visits. Well, today's session was pretty close. It had to be at least 90 in the room, and I was literally making puddles with the amount of sweat coming off my body. I was amazed and happy about it. More than in any other exercise, sweat in yoga represents the impurities exiting your body. And tasting my sweat as it beaded and dropped into my mouth, it tasted like clear water. Meaning, to me, that my system was running pretty damn clean.

We even did some wild hand balances with one foot wrapped around behind our heads. I particularly appreciated this asana since it was what brought me into yoga in the first place 30 years ago.

Monica was born in India and her formal training showed, especially in the way she said "eeeeenhahl..... eXhayle." Her joyous energy and calmness pervaded the whole session. And she KICKED us with the bridges, which I hit better than I ever had in my life.

I walked out of JM in a complete bliss state, ready to live "be here now." Which I did as soon as I hit the streets. But thats another story for another blog. :)

The *other* handstand

So, on one of the online gymnastics tutorials I've been reading, it suggests to practice handstand, instead of kicking up into the wall, instead face your face towards the wall, tuck, and walk your feet up the wall. Then, once your legs are fully extended, walk your hands back towards the wall. This was a *completely* different way than the "dyno" style (shout out to your rock-climber-boulderers out there!) handstand I'd been practicing... and with the ability to free my feet and actually press my *stomach* against the wall as the only means of support, it really felt like it helped my balance.

I am so *jonseing* to get a free form unsupported handstand going. Cmon boy! Go Go Go!

art of hand balance

It all started with Ashtanga yoga. These kids have a special move, the "jump" from downward dog into forward bend, which has become almost universal throughout vinyasa flow practice. The trick of it is to make it graceful, prolonged, and fluid. Downward dog, for those of you unfamiliar with yoga, is simply placing your body in a pyramid position, with your feet back, your ass high, and your head low, your arms straight, your hands on the floor in front of you. Spine maximum straight, and legs straight. The proper form is a perfect triangle with the ground as the base.

Forward bend is simply "stand and touch your hands to your toes."

So the transition from dog to forward can be done with a simple walking of the feet, or more gracefully, by shifting the balance to the hands, flying the feet up into the air, and softly landing the feet back down between the hands.

Practicing this, one experiences a profound shift of both weight and balance, from the feet to the hands.

Another place I found this was in an AcroYoga warm-up that Becca put us through, the "donkey kick". In this, you start in forward bend, and kick your legs up high over your head. The point is to get as forward as possible, and hold the elevated (inverted) donkey kick pose as long as possible, without falling over forward.

And then there is the reverse bridge, and contortion videos.

Finally, there is the handstand.

It becomes clear, rather soon, that in acrobatics, and yoga, the hands and feet become interchangeable grounding mechanisms. Once you gain the flexibility to bend your body over and place equal weight on the hands and feet, and once you gain the strength in your wrists, forearms and fingers to maintain balance, and once you gain the overall kinaethetic awareness and body balance in order to shift from feet to hands and vice versa, well, thats the grok of the hand balance.

Then its just a world of creative movement possibilities. :)

Handstands

I am getting very very close to the handstand.
My Tarot of the Day was the Hanged Man, which gives me thoughts about inversions.

At AcroYoga Jedi Kula Training, we did spotted handstands, and Becca, our coach, called out timings as we held it: "30 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute". When I applied for AcroYoga teacher training, one of the items on the questionairre was: "How long can you hold a wall handstand for?" I timed myself at just over a minute. I was sure at the time I coulda done longer, but it seemed sufficient for the application. Plus, what I *really* want is:

1) to hold a handstand in perfect balance, without support, and then my Holy Grail:

2) to push up into a handstand from a headstand

I nailed this second one a few weeks ago after Revolva and I exchanged some emails on technique. I realised that there were two key factors: a) spreading the hands *wide*, and b) just *gutting* through the first few inches of elevation. After my head was off the ground and I had broken through that psychological / strength barrier, it was easy.

Now, re-invigorated from the AcroYoga practice, and re-determined to nail my handstand, I've found a great web coach:

http://www.beastskills.com/Handstand.htm

Beast Skills. Love it! :)