2. Age is of no importance, unless you are a cheese. mmmmmmmmm cheese...
Tuesday 30 April 2013
3 Things i've learnt this morning..
1. Bruce Lee was the 1958 Hong Kong Cha-Cha Champion. Smooth.
2. Age is of no importance, unless you are a cheese. mmmmmmmmm cheese...
3. Some days, whoever you are, every inch or your body will rebel and that's OK. Be patient.
2. Age is of no importance, unless you are a cheese. mmmmmmmmm cheese...
Monday 29 April 2013
morning… tea
noon… tides
night… dreaming
perfect happiness… freedom
preposterous… Kodak ending film production
fear… the reaper
love… energy
extravagance… the cosmos
comedy… laughter
work… gratitude
our time… is now
the future… keep dancing
the past… got me here
a conversation with Cat Stevens from Book Stand
Sunday 28 April 2013
Saturday 27 April 2013
"I’ve learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems
today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. I’ve learned
that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these
three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree
lights. I’ve learned that regardless of your relationship with your
parents, you’ll miss them when they’re gone from your life. I’ve learned
that making a “living” is not the same thing as making a “life.” I’ve
learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance. I’ve learned that
you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands; you
need to be able to throw something back. I’ve learned that whenever I
decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision.
I’ve learned that even when I have pains, I don’t have to be one. I’ve
learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People
love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back. I’ve learned that I
still have a lot to learn. I’ve learned that people will forget what
you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget
how you made them feel."
--Maya Angelou
Friday 26 April 2013
Pose of the week
Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance)
To add to my previous 'pose of the week' series (see the Pincha Mayurasana and Salamba Sirasana pose) i recently came across this article in Yoga Journal and it's a good answer so a commonly asked question so i thought i would share!
Lisa Walford is a senior intermediate Iyengar Yoga
instructor and has been teaching for more than twenty years. She is
one of the directors of the Teacher Training Program at Yoga Works, in
Los Angeles. She has served on the faculty of the 1990 and 1993 National
Iyengar Yoga Conventions and studies regularly with
the Iyengars.
On a far more serious note, and for inspiration, have a look at Mikhail Baryshnikov's sublime serratus anterior....cor(e)!
image source: top image of B.K.S Iyengar from here and Mikhail Baryshnikov from Rebecca Ketchum)
Q: I have been doing yoga for four years and still can't do an elbow
balance. I collapse by going forward until my head hits the wall. I
don't feel it is lack of strength as I can do Headstand and Handstand.
—Shirley Mahoney
Lisa Walford's reply:
In Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), you have a longer fulcrum from the hand to the shoulder, so you can depend on momentum to kick up. In Sirsasana (Headstand) you have a broader base with the forearms and the crown of the head on the floor, so the shoulder muscles get additional support from the upper back muscles, which makes it easier to get up. But keep in mind that even if you can get up in Headstand, the integrity of alignment in the neck can be severely compromised if there is inadequate lift in the armpit and instability in the shoulder girdle. How you get up is as important as being there!
In Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand), you have a longer fulcrum from the hand to the shoulder, so you can depend on momentum to kick up. In Sirsasana (Headstand) you have a broader base with the forearms and the crown of the head on the floor, so the shoulder muscles get additional support from the upper back muscles, which makes it easier to get up. But keep in mind that even if you can get up in Headstand, the integrity of alignment in the neck can be severely compromised if there is inadequate lift in the armpit and instability in the shoulder girdle. How you get up is as important as being there!
In Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Stand or Elbow Balance), the actions
required of the shoulder are confined to a smaller area, which
challenges the flexibility and stability of the shoulder girdle
directly. When viewed from the side, the optimal placement should be an
even column from the base of the pose through the upper arm, armpit,
shoulder, torso, pelvis, and legs. That is, the pose should not collapse
in the armpits and then compensate by bending in the low back. Sound
familiar--the banana shape?
From your hands and knees, face a wall and place your forearms on the
floor. Place a belt or strap just above your elbows so that your
forearms remain parallel to each other and shoulder-width apart. Set a
block between your hands. These props will help you keep the chest open
when you kick up. They'll also help you to get the stability you need
from the serratus anterior, a key muscle that attaches the shoulder
blades to the back ribs and from which you can properly distribute
weight through the shoulder girdle into the back.
Keep your shoulders in a vertical line directly above the elbows, draw
the shoulder blades onto your back, and straighten your legs. You will
be in a shortened Downward-Facing Dog
with your forearms on the ground. While pressing down into the elbows
and the forearms, draw your upper back (the thoracic spine) in toward
the chest and slowly walk your feet toward your hands until you get a
vertical lift from the elbows all the way up through the shoulders, ribs
and waist. Stay in this preliminary stage for several breaths to
reinforce the stability and length in the shoulders and armpits. If you
have the flexibility in the upper back and the armpits can yawn and
open, then bring one leg slightly in front of the other and kick up.
While kicking up, maintain the 90-degree angle between the forearm and
the upper arm by pressing the center of the forearm into the floor and
lifting the upper arm off the forearm. This will help keep you from
collapsing toward the wall.
By setting up properly and carefully studying how you go into a pose,
you will better identify what needs strength or stability and where you
need to elongate and open. Like pruning a garden and watching it
flourish, practice with vigilance and you will find that your yoga will
become more refined.
On a far more serious note, and for inspiration, have a look at Mikhail Baryshnikov's sublime serratus anterior....cor(e)!
Thursday 25 April 2013
Archives
"If you are a certain kind of person, there is a unique form of pleasure to be obtained in an archive. With an important writer’s notes—or, even better, journals—there is a sense of ceremonious trespassing involved in having a specialist present you, the researcher, with a revered figure’s highly personal, and often rather trivial, belongings. The special collections room becomes an equalizing space where we can ogle at the humdrum remains of those we esteem the most; by looking through their assorted paperwork—through their receipts, to-do lists and preserved desk detritus—they become somewhat less elevated and more earthly. This is even truer in the case of the three-dimensional realia: due to the combinations of death, achievement, fame, and rarity, the worn and used objects of everyday life are eventually deemed research-worthy...."
Extract from Mysterious Skin: The Realia of William Gaddis by Matthew Erickson in The Paris Review
Trouble sleeping?
"...Pretend that you’re going to fall through the bed. It makes you realize how tensed up your body is and helps you relax....'
Apartment Therapy also found the most relaxing song ever, which actually slows down your heartbeat.
Nothing beats a good sleep!
(image: Coffee with Maddie from maddieonthings)
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