Joe's Joint

[Naldaramjo]

10 hours ago, Nathan said:

Not sure how you're doing the stretch, but you might try turning your head to the side if you've been looking straight forward. You can play with tilting it forward or backward too. The point of the side bend is to get a stretch in the side - not the neck - so there is no reason to force pure lateral neck flexion. The neck should be comfortable so that you can focus on the stretch in the side.

I've been looking forward. Interestingly, the lateral neck flexion doesn't have any kinks when I do it without my arm raised over my head. I'll experiment with tilting to the side. Cheers.

[Naldaramjo]

A 10km hike with a ton of elevation gain...Vibrams...I’m not sure if they’re the ideal solution for winter hiking, but I can’t imagine anything else...there’s just so much feedback from the terrain to think about wearing a clunky hiking boot.

Daily 4

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x10 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths

Rotating the neck slightly towards the ground alleviated the neck kinks.

• Chair Seated Piriformis x~20 deep breaths

Tried sitting in the stretch start position for a while to really get up close and personal with the tension. Even before I make the stretch more intense, there's something there - a difficult to pinpoint tightness. So, I focused all of my intention into helping it relax. Not sure if it worked, but it was a good experience. 

MTS

• L1: Sumo Squats x1.5 Minutes
• L3: Boxing the Compass

Just worked the lunge position today. Legs right fatigued from the hike.

• L7: Seated Figure 4

A quick check-in

• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (5/30)

Focused today on making sure my hips didn’t slowly rotate to one side as I performed the ankle movements. This is really a killer exercise.

[Naldaramjo]

December 9, 2018

Daily 4

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x10 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x15+ deep breaths

MTS

• L1: Sumo Squats x1.5 Minutes
• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (6/30)

Notes: Just a quick session today. 

[Pat (pogo69)]

On 12/7/2018 at 10:34 PM, Naldaramjo said:

.I really think zero degrees is the limit for this. My toes are starting to go numb.

There are limits to everything, but it will differ between individuals, and between versions of yourself.  You will adapt, with carefully graded exposure.

I've given myself a couple of doses of mild chilblains after running on frost-covered grass.  Not from the cold, but from too rapidly re-heating my feet in a hot shower.

[Pat (pogo69)]

On 12/8/2018 at 10:11 PM, Naldaramjo said:

A 10km hike with a ton of elevation gain...Vibrams...I’m not sure if they’re the ideal solution for winter hiking, but I can’t imagine anything else...there’s just so much feedback from the terrain to think about wearing a clunky hiking boot.

They really are incomparable on steep, technical terrain.  As close as one can get to a climbing shoe, without having to cram your foot into a space several sizes too small; upon which you can barely hobble, much less walk or run.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the Vibrams hold up (or more accurately, how I hold up), next June.  Running in Winter in NZ's South Island around snow-capped mountains will be something different for us both.

[Naldaramjo]

1 hour ago, pogo69 said:

They really are incomparable on steep, technical terrain.  As close as one can get to a climbing shoe, without having to cram your foot into a space several sizes too small; upon which you can barely hobble, much less walk or run.

I'm looking forward to seeing how the Vibrams hold up (or more accurately, how I hold up), next June.  Running in Winter in NZ's South Island around snow-capped mountains will be something different for us both.

I agree...ankle-supported boxing-gloves-for-feet seem quite unnecessary to me now. 

Will you do anything to modify your Vibrams for ice? I'd be worried about grip...are there Vibram crampons available?

[Pat (pogo69)]

5 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

Will you do anything to modify your Vibrams for ice? I'd be worried about grip...are there Vibram crampons available?

No, I'll leave them, as is.

I did look into all manner of crampons sometime last year, in preparation for a race that I ended up missing, due to injury.  There isn't anything out there that is specifically compatible.  I found anecdotal evidence of people using some with FiveFingers, but they will all carry the risk of slippage due to being designed to fit over a full toe box.

Shouldn't be necessary for next year's race.  Terry, the RD, does a very thorough pre-race sweep.  Any ice patches, of which there are usually relatively few, are well marked.

[Naldaramjo]

December 10, 2018

Daily 4

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x10 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x15+ deep breaths

MTS

• L1: Sumo Squats x1.5 Minutes
• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (7/30)

Notes: busy couple of days! Hoping to get a more thorough session going next time.

[Naldaramjo]

December 11, 2018

Daily 4

Did some lacrosse ball rolling along the erector spinae (where my injury is)...I find it quite difficult to know what an appropriate pressure to apply is. When I do apply pressure to what I perceive to be the injury site, it feels great, but this seems to pull on other parts of the ES and make them uncomfortable, particularly in the lower back, where pressure on one side of the spine often makes the other side uncomfortable. It’s better than it used to be, but this spinal injury has sure been a confusing one. Could this be a fascial network that needs some reconfiguring, somehow?

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x10 breaths

Didn’t feel as relaxing as usual, perhaps due to the prior fascial massage work.

• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths

The lower back seemed to offer slightly less resistance when relaxing into extension.

• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x20+ deep breaths

No doubt there’s improvement in this area. But, with each new horizon reached, another looms in the distance. I’m just happy to be able to feel things a little better, and to be able to engage in focused relaxation with a bit more success. Something I've been thinking about recently: do I really only want passive flexibility in my hips? No! So with that in mind, I've been attempting to sort out what the antagonist muscles are that complement the piriformis. Engaging the "chakras," I believe, can act as a way to keep the movement "honest" for me - no excessive rounding of the spine; all movement roughly pivoting around the trochanters. I also wonder if their engagement might encourage my piriformis muscles to chill out a bit. Maybe they're taking on jobs that don't belong to them.

I was at a cafe yesterday, and another customer had brought their 2 year old daughter in. This being Korea, the area was designated for floor seating, but watching her move, slip and slide, flip and flop all over that floor as if it were a king size bed, it was mesmerizing. Cat (or kitten)-like movement indeed. 

I'd be interested to know the history of the chair. 

MTS

• L1: Sumo Squats x1 Minutes

Maintaining pelvic floor and TA engagement during this first limbering movement is now a given for me. 

• L3: Boxing the Compass

Worked all angles. Left leg has a wire-thin band of muscle that protests more than the rest. Must go slowly. Hopefully the hip flexor strengthening work is helping it out.

• L7: Seated Figure 4

With the intent of maintaining consistency, and (hopefully) assessing progress more accurately, I fixed my knee angle at 90 degrees and, for a change, worked on each leg individually (the non-working leg splayed out and straightened - about 90 degrees at the groin). This movement feels to me the purest “limbering” movement of them all. The rest, due to my lack of familiarity with them, all end up containing a significantly stretching component no matter how conservatively I approach them.

• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (8/30)

Edited December 12, 2018 by Naldaramjo
clarification

[Naldaramjo]

December 12, 2018

Daily 4

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x10 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x15 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x20+ deep breaths
• Neck Sequence

MTS

• L1: Sumo Squats x1 Minutes
• L7: Seated Figure 4
• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (9/30)

[Naldaramjo]

December 13, 2018

Again began with a bit of foam rolling on the erector spinae and right hip...not too hard

Daily 4

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x6 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x20+ deep breaths

Thinking about where I feel tightness in my right hip. It's a muscle that often feels engaged and needlessly tight during the seated meditation posture as well. Not the piriformis, I think. Seems to come from the iliac crest into the outside of the thigh...anyone have any thoughts? 

Just a short one today...needing rest.

[Nathan]

23 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

Thinking about where I feel tightness in my right hip. It's a muscle that often feels engaged and needlessly tight during the seated meditation posture as well. Not the piriformis, I think. Seems to come from the iliac crest into the outside of the thigh...anyone have any thoughts? 

Hard to say since the actual culprit is often not where we're feeling the tightness. That said, from your description I would guess glute med or TFL.

[Naldaramjo]

December 14, 2018

Some foam rolling on the quads and erector spinae. Back might need a break from it next session. Don't want to overdo it!

Daily 4

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x10 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x20+ deep breaths

Experimented with various angles today, especially on the right hip, which is far more stubborn. I feel my TFL (thanks @Nathan) resisting quite a bit before I feel any stretch in the priformis. Any idea how I might be able to encourage it to relax a little? I feel the same sensation when, while in a floor meditation seated position, I try and bring my right knee to the floor.

MTS

• L1: Sumo Squats x1 Minute
• L3: Boxing the Compass
• L7: Seated Figure 4
• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (10/29)

[Nathan]

51 minutes ago, Naldaramjo said:

I feel my TFL (thanks @Nathan) resisting quite a bit before I feel any stretch in the priformis. Any idea how I might be able to encourage it to relax a little?

There be gold in these here forums: TFL stretches  

As mentioned in the thread, TFL is tough to stretch properly with the usual stretches unless you know where to feel it. It's really good at avoiding the stretch! Rolling can help, but again, you need to roll the right place. If you end up just rolling the IT band, it will be excruciating but with little benefit since the IT band is basically just a huge tendon. (Rolling it can still help release tension from surrounding tissues, though.) But since you have a good idea of where the tight line is, try some of the stretches mentioned and one might hit just the spot you need!

[Naldaramjo]

13 hours ago, Nathan said:

There be gold in these here forums: TFL stretches  

As mentioned in the thread, TFL is tough to stretch properly with the usual stretches unless you know where to feel it. It's really good at avoiding the stretch! Rolling can help, but again, you need to roll the right place. If you end up just rolling the IT band, it will be excruciating but with little benefit since the IT band is basically just a huge tendon. (Rolling it can still help release tension from surrounding tissues, though.) But since you have a good idea of where the tight line is, try some of the stretches mentioned and one might hit just the spot you need!

Thanks, @Nathan! Indeed, the muscle, for all its overachieving, certainly knows how to weasel its way out of a stretch. The lying one seems to be good (both for the medial glutes and the TFL), but I have to get into it properly, especially to feel the stretch in the glutes. 

[Naldaramjo]

December 15, 2018

Joe’s Daily 5

• Lying TFL/Medial Glute stretch

With careful setup and preparation, this is a great medial glute and TFL stretch, but without them, it's simply an okay TFL stretch. I think I'll include this for the time being, because my medial glutes need some work.

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x10 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x10 deep breaths

After performing the lying stretch at the beginning, I can feel this stretch a bit more locally in the piriformis. A good sign!

MTS

• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (11/29)

As this gets easier, I think I'll start moving further into the hips ROM when I do the ankle circles. 

[Naldaramjo]

December 16, 2018

Joe’s Daily 5

• Lying TFL/Medial Glute stretch

This stretch feels so useful to my specific pattern of tightness that I think I'll include it twice per day for a little while. Haven't yet added any contractions, but might start later this week.

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x5 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x10 breaths

MTS

• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (12/29)

[Naldaramjo]

During a meditation sit the other day (~20 minutes), as I was focusing on my breath, I was able to really lock into the energy requirement of inhaling, and consequently, I was also really able to appreciate the effortlessness of exhaling. As I noticed this, I attempted to remove any intention from my inhale save observance. As I did this, my breathing became more and more shallow, until they became mere radar blips. I didn't feel lacking for oxygen. It felt quite comfortable, actually! However, gently holding my attention on such subtle sensations was a challenge. Anyone else ever experienced something similar?

[Nathan]

1 hour ago, Naldaramjo said:

Anyone else ever experienced something similar?

I've experienced the same thing. I think most of us have this idea of deep belly breathing being "right" - especially during something like meditation - but our bodies need no assistance breathing. They will breathe (be breathed) as much as they need to on their own. When I remove any intention of doing breathing during meditation, the breaths usually become almost imperceptible. In fact, it almost becomes difficult to use the breath as a target because all of the sensations grow so minimal, so sometimes I will have to pair some kind of visualization.

[Naldaramjo]

4 hours ago, Nathan said:

I've experienced the same thing. I think most of us have this idea of deep belly breathing being "right" - especially during something like meditation - but our bodies need no assistance breathing. They will breathe (be breathed) as much as they need to on their own. When I remove any intention of doing breathing during meditation, the breaths usually become almost imperceptible. In fact, it almost becomes difficult to use the breath as a target because all of the sensations grow so minimal, so sometimes I will have to pair some kind of visualization.

I suppose consciously breathing could be an object of meditation, but I like the idea of it just happening assistance-free. What kinds of visualizations have you tried?

[Nathan]

22 minutes ago, Naldaramjo said:

I suppose consciously breathing could be an object of meditation, but I like the idea of it just happening assistance-free. What kinds of visualizations have you tried?

Yeah, I meant that it just becomes difficult to feel the breath because it's presence becomes so faint. I tend to use temperature at the nostrils or the movement of the stomach/chest, but both of those can almost completely fade away when the breath becomes shallow enough. When I use a visualization, it might be as simple as adding color or light to the breath going in and out. Sometimes I will visualize the whole body breathing from every pore rather than simply at the nose/mouth. And occasionally I will use a visualization from my Taijiquan practices where the breath runs down the center-front of the body until it reaches the dantian, spins around, runs back up the spine and then both out to the palms and crown of the head. That's a simplification, but you get the general idea.

[Naldaramjo]

2 hours ago, Nathan said:

Yeah, I meant that it just becomes difficult to feel the breath because it's presence becomes so faint. I tend to use temperature at the nostrils or the movement of the stomach/chest, but both of those can almost completely fade away when the breath becomes shallow enough. When I use a visualization, it might be as simple as adding color or light to the breath going in and out. Sometimes I will visualize the whole body breathing from every pore rather than simply at the nose/mouth. And occasionally I will use a visualization from my Taijiquan practices where the breath runs down the center-front of the body until it reaches the dantian, spins around, runs back up the spine and then both out to the palms and crown of the head. That's a simplification, but you get the general idea.

Have you found these visualizations have helped your experience? Or altered it? Easier to concentrate? 

[Naldaramjo]

December 17, 2018

Joe’s Daily 5

• Lying TFL/Medial Glute stretch

Loosening the elusive medial glute is having a significant effect on the mobility and comfort of my lower back in the following two stretches (in a good way). This is a very tricky stretch for me to do successfully.

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x6 breaths
• Elbow Backbend x10 breaths
• Kneeling Side Bend x5 breaths
• Chair Seated Piriformis x10 deep breaths

I attempted this stretch today as it is instructed in the ABSS (previously, I was simply lying my foot across my knee and bending forward). I was able to feel the sensation in the piriformis a bit better, and it appears my groin has loosened up enough that I can apply enough leverage with my arms wrapped around the stretching hip's knee. Might continue this way for a little while. 

MTS

• L1: Sumo Squats 45 seconds
• L3: Boxing the Compass
• L7: Seated Figure 4
• Jibengong: Ankle Circles (13/29)

Already significant improvements in the control and articulation I have in my hips, no doubt thanks to this specific exercise.

[Nathan]

15 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

Have you found these visualizations have helped your experience? Or altered it? Easier to concentrate?

Well, I wouldn't be mentioning them if I found them unhelpful or useless  I suppose it all depends on your objective with the practice. I'm sure it's better to feel the sensations directly, but sometimes that can be difficult, and if visualizations can help support doing so then I would think using them would ultimately be beneficial. Of course I'm no expert on this stuff, though! Furthermore, we're all different and we'll experience these things differently, so I'd say try it and see what your experience tells you. That's all that really matters in the end, right?

[Naldaramjo]

9 hours ago, Nathan said:

Well, I wouldn't be mentioning them if I found them unhelpful or useless  I suppose it all depends on your objective with the practice. I'm sure it's better to feel the sensations directly, but sometimes that can be difficult, and if visualizations can help support doing so then I would think using them would ultimately be beneficial. Of course I'm no expert on this stuff, though! Furthermore, we're all different and we'll experience these things differently, so I'd say try it and see what your experience tells you. That's all that really matters in the end, right?

Advice must be tricky when it comes to meditation as we are all so different. I appreciate you sharing your perspective, though, and it's given me a lot to think about. I also find the sensations at the nostril to be strongest no matter how shallow I breathe, and I also notice a faint swelling sensation in the cheeks as I exhale, as if they are being stretched ever so gently.