The Power Of Mind

There is a state of transcendence which many athletes have the good fortune to experience. In this state, you come closer to yourself than you ever have. Lose yourself to find yourself. This transcendence can be imagined as a blissful flow state, and I have experienced it in multiple different sports including weightlifting, yoga, bouldering, capoeira, and BJJ. It requires you to push past the furthest place you have ever been, beat both mental and physical fatigue, and step outside of your comfort zone, owning every second of it. In a society lacking of ritualistic transitions from childhood to adulthood, these transcendental moments are rites of passage (reference “King, Warrior, Magician, Warrior” 1 ). Put simply, redefine your limits and Shatter your self image! What happens when this transcendental state is reached? We break out of the narrative which was constructed largely without your consent. Emerson (reference “The Spiritual Emerson” 3 ) says “infancy conforms t...

Expectations: I need to expect less from my students. It is not right to assume a base of knowledge on these movement patterns that are so new to them. The first level is all about developing some kind of practice for each movement. It is the most important level and should be handled as such. If the plan is to teach certain movements, but there is someone who clearly can not achieve this, then make a modification that targets similar areas so that the person has an opportunity to grow. We have to be mindful in mixed level classes. Make sure that when a certain movement is inaccessible, there is an alternate. Cues and tips If a person does not pick up on the cue the first time it is said, narrow down the cue, switch up the language, and gesture differently. Do what is necessary to have them get the move correct. If they do not understand, it is the responsibility as a teacher to show them properly. My yoga teacher training cautioned us not to show the movements for some reaso...

This is a very very VERY common occurrence in any any ANY field or activity you find yourself participating in. In fact, its so common, you’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t faced some plateaus that made them question their interests and resolve. I have a long history of becoming interested in something, falling in love with that thing, and dropping it in a relatively short time. Full disclosure, that is kind of my preferred method of operating because I am interested in learning a broad spectrum of patterns; I sit back and watch as they cross over with each other and benefit me in ways that are far deeper and more profound than surface level. An example of this is how, in my strange mindbody, yoga and meditation (2 years), Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (1 year on and off), capoeira (1 year), calisthenics (4 years)/gymnastics (3 months), bouldering (1 month), and chess (few months) all connect and make me more fluent as a human being. But this is a topic for another post.  ...

As you introduce new movements to your body, you open up your problem solving capabilities in the physical sense. Any change in physiology is preceded by a change in the brain and nervous system. This, translated to english, means whenever our body is able to do something new, there was first a change in our brains(refer back to “ Planning for a Healthy Brain” posted January 15th). By introducing new ways of functioning to the brain, we change our capacities to function as humans. I will take bouldering as an example. While bouldering, we have to solve problems. A problems is a set route which you have to follow to reach the top of the wall or rock. The way you complete the route, or send the route, is called a beta and there are many betas for any given route. Not all betas work for all people due to our differences in strength, flexibility, and size. This is where creativity and patience comes into play. If we see someone complete a route one way, that beta becomes our best cha...

The first level of movement: Level One In level one you introduce a brand new movement to your mindbody system. This has neurological, physical, mental, proprioceptive, increased spacial awareness, spiritual, emotional, and energetic impacts on your body and mind. I think of every new pose or movement pattern as opening up a new way to experience reality, no matter how slight it may be. This process occurs through the sequence in which you perform movements. To learn these brand new movements, visualization is a helpful tool. Your physical and energetic body will be activated in different sequences, like a song. There are only so many notes to play, yet there are an infinite amount of beautiful songs that can be created. Learning the preverbal “notes” of movement will allow you to one-day construct your own symphonies. By introducing new movements, you change your orientation and perspective. handstands and flips are the two most obvious examples. The body learns to deal with gr...