Joe's Joint

[Naldaramjo]

January 17, 2019

• Glute activation work
• Glute exercises
• Lying Piriformis x10(ish) breaths
• Lunge Hip Flexor Stretch
• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x5 breaths
• Lying Elbow Backbend x10+ breaths

January 18, 2019

• Quad stretch (foot against wall)
• Glute activation work
• Glute exercises
• Lying Piriformis x10(ish) breaths
• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x5 breaths
• Lying Elbow Backbend x10+ breaths

January 19, 2019

• Quad stretch (foot against wall)
• Glute activation work/single leg exercises

Glutes are slowly waking up, and I think that the stretching of the quadriceps prior to the glute work is helping.

• Floor Upper & Middle Back Stretch x5 breaths
• Lying Elbow Backbend x5 breaths
• Lying Rotation (as outlined in Stretching & Flexibility)
• Kneeling Side-Bend
• Seated Piriformis x10(ish) breaths
• Neck Stretches

[Naldaramjo]

Well, time to dust this off, I suppose. 

Despite not posting here, I have been keeping up with my mobility work, and while the improvements have been slow, they have been coming. Layers and layers and layers of tension to explore. 

One thing that seems true for my body (and likely any body) is that tense muscles will not release one bit until the prerequisite strength is there. More surprisingly, this includes strength in opposing muscles. For example, as I have learned to isolate and strengthen my gluteus medius, I have noticed that certain adductor muscles have more willingly relaxed. Not much, but the sensation is much different. 

An elusive muscle for me still is the TFL. It doesn't *seem* tight until I attempt to sit for meditation (or in that style). I'm not sure if they're simply contracting out of a bad habit or due to some tension in my posterior chain that I've not yet been able to release. Still, even in stretches, it is stubborn. Perhaps confusing is the right word. Both me and the muscle are confused. It about its job, and me about how to encourage its deactivation. 

If anyone here has had experience with a persistently tight TFL, I'd be happy for some of your thoughts. I did read this TFL thread  and @Enkidu's video come closest to touching on the specific way in which my TFL is tight, but I'd be keen to hear about the experiences of those who were able to soften and relax theirs. 

All in all, the process continues to be encouraging, baffling, rewarding, humbling, confusing, but ultimately, enlightening. 

[Kit_L]

23 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

An elusive muscle for me still is the TFL. It doesn't *seem* tight until I attempt to sit for meditation (or in that style). I'm not sure if they're simply contracting out of a bad habit or due to some tension in my posterior chain that I've not yet been able to release.

No doubt. Try putting your legs in position using your hands. Think about it: what muscle do you have to use to get the legs in position? TFL, among others. And in that position, they are already in their contracted range of movement... You have not done a workshop with me, IIRC, but something I will always say, and demonstrate (asking attendees to point a foot strongly), any muscle asked to do work in its contracted end ROM is liable to spasm. TFL is no different.

So try placing your legs into position instead of using TFL to do this, and please report back.

[Naldaramjo]

48 minutes ago, Kit_L said:

No doubt. Try putting your legs in position using your hands. Think about it: what muscle do you have to use to get the legs in position? TFL, among others. And in that position, they are already in their contracted range of movement... You have not done a workshop with me, IIRC, but something I will always say, and demonstrate (asking attendees to point a foot strongly), any muscle asked to do work in its contracted end ROM is liable to spasm. TFL is no different.

So try placing your legs into position instead of using TFL to do this, and please report back.

That's right, @Kit_L, I haven't yet had the chance to attend a workshop. As for using my hands to bring myself into the seated meditation posture, do you mean to release them once seated? I can't see any way I would have the leverage to maintain the hand assist once in position. Perhaps working against a wall would encourage the relaxation? 

[Kit_L]

Yes, release the legs after using the hands/arms to put the legs in position. Key point is to not use TFL to do this: let that whole area stay soft.

[Naldaramjo]

1 hour ago, Kit_L said:

Yes, release the legs after using the hands/arms to put the legs in position. Key point is to not use TFL to do this: let that whole area stay soft.

I've tried, but there's just something about the externally rotated position that has them refusing to soften. Will continue experimenting. Even propped up on a pillow, feeling pretty comfortable, there's still tension, to no apparent end. 

I've recently been doing some deep work with the medial glutes, under the assumption that they're underperforming. I think this is helping. Additionally, it's giving me the strongest mind-butt connection I've ever had. Don't quote me on that, though.

[Naldaramjo]

A quick note on some changes in stretching sensations:

Since I've started working on specifically strengthening my gluteus medius - with lying clamshells being the most effective way to develop the mind-muscle connection - I have noticed profound differences in the way many stretches  (or postures) feel. Here are a couple of them:

Solo Hip Flexor Stretch

The sensation is no longer a sharp resistance in the groin. It is now a more general feeling of expansion in the front of the body, specifically in the deep abdominal muscles attaching to the iliac crest. As well, the front of the leg seems to generally be softening a bit more uniformly. It's an encouraging sign, because the new stretching sensation is far more pleasing.

Child's Pose

My hip flexors, finally, are beginning to move out of the way during forward hinges of the hips that don't involve the hamstrings. Previously, I would get to a point where I would feel my legs "prying" open as I tried to bring my head towards the floor, and the only way I'd really be able to do this pose was with a severe amount of hyperflexion in the lumbar spine. It didn't feel right. Now, I feel more space in the front of my pelvis as I move forward. 

There are other changes as well, including a fantastic mind-muscle connection with the gluteal muscles, but those, to me, are the most prominent. My quads in general just feel like they're finally "letting go" in many positions where they've been stubborn in the past.

[Naldaramjo]

1 hour ago, Naldaramjo said:

The sensation is no longer a sharp resistance in the groin. It is now a more general feeling of expansion in the front of the body, specifically in the deep abdominal muscles attaching to the iliac crest. As well, the front of the leg seems to generally be softening a bit more uniformly. It's an encouraging sign, because the new stretching sensation is far more pleasing.

After checking an anatomy chart, it appears I am feeling the sensation in the internal obliques. 

[Naldaramjo]

Exploration of the hips continues...at long last, things are releasing. Softening? Not yet, but releasing nonetheless. 

I think a lot about Kit Laughlin's comment about "tight lines," and how the body will very readily work around them rather than through them if one is not mindful of what's happening. So, I've had to be very methodical with how I stretch the outer hips. I have a piano in my apartment, and I have found that propping my lower leg on it (in a position similar to that of Pigeon Pose), squaring my hips, taking several deep breaths...this settles me into a position where I feel the stretch appropriately. Only then do I start to explore different ranges of motion. 

Oddly,  I haven't had much luck with more conventional outer hip stretches (mostly ones that take place on the floor), but that's okay. I've found something that works, and I'll continue to use it. 

Another change I've noticed is how open I can open my hips in warrior 2. Revolved triangle, too. I can't yet sink deeply into those positions, but I feel in better alignment, and better prepared to explore them safely. 
 

On another note, I've had some persisting discomfort underneath my left shoulder blade. There's so much going on with the neck, the shoulders, the traps, rhomboids, that this feels like one big undiscovered country. I'd appreciate hearing about anyone else's experience with tension in these areas. What's worked? What's illuminated? What hasn't worked? 

[Naldaramjo]

BTW, thanks to you, @Kit_L, I have discovered Morris Berman and am currently reading The Reenchantment of the World. I intend to read the entire trilogy that this book begins, but I would not have known of either this author nor this book were it not for a comment thread on this message board. Fascinating stuff. 

This was the comment.

[Nathan]

7 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

On another note, I've had some persisting discomfort underneath my left shoulder blade. There's so much going on with the neck, the shoulders, the traps, rhomboids, that this feels like one big undiscovered country. I'd appreciate hearing about anyone else's experience with tension in these areas.

Just remember that it's all connected. I find this particularly true for the whole neck/shoulders/scaps/pecs area, but it's very likely that the issue is not where you feel the discomfort (or at the very least certainly not solely there in the vast majority of cases). The first thing I would advise is let go of any timeline expectations. This is true for all of these things, really, but it might take a long time to really explore and find your weak links. Next, I would say give the area of discomfort attention (rolling can be great for the whole scap area), but you will need to mindfully explore all of the aforementioned areas too. It can also be related to very subtle habits of holding yourself in daily life. I find I end up with a lot of tension in the tongue/mouth/shoulders even just walking around casually. This can translate to the neck, and then to the shoulders/scap area. Always more to discover about ourselves 

[Naldaramjo]

48 minutes ago, Nathan said:

Just remember that it's all connected. I find this particularly true for the whole neck/shoulders/scaps/pecs area, but it's very likely that the issue is not where you feel the discomfort (or at the very least certainly not solely there in the vast majority of cases). The first thing I would advise is let go of any timeline expectations. This is true for all of these things, really, but it might take a long time to really explore and find your weak links. Next, I would say give the area of discomfort attention (rolling can be great for the whole scap area), but you will need to mindfully explore all of the aforementioned areas too. It can also be related to very subtle habits of holding yourself in daily life. I find I end up with a lot of tension in the tongue/mouth/shoulders even just walking around casually. This can translate to the neck, and then to the shoulders/scap area. Always more to discover about ourselves 

As usual, Nathan, you've spoken to the heart of the matter. In my impatience, I have surely exacerbated symptoms at times. And time, or perhaps the perceived lack of it, is ultimately what drives me to frustration when sorting out my body. I wonder if my body is simply being stubborn because it insists I learn the lessons of unhurried observation...

[Kit_L]

13 hours ago, Nathan said:

On another note, I've had some persisting discomfort underneath my left shoulder blade.

You are a candidate for the awesome accelerator stretch! I will video this one day, but see if you can follow it from this:

Sit on floor, legs outstretched, but knees bent. Let's say it's the L shoulder blade you want to work on. Support yourself to the side with the R arm, and reach out with the L, towards the outside of the R foot. Turn the L hand over so thumb points down (internal rotation of arm in shoulder joint). Keep the L elbow bent (bend knees more if arm near straight). Now, holding the foot, pull on the L arm with the biceps; you will feel this under the L shoulder blade. While maintaining the pull, add a second vector: without changing the pull, or the elbow angle, use the lats under the L shoulder to try to pull the R foot across to the L side; this line of pull will be roughly 90° to the first line, which is back to you. All beginners let the L elbow straighten when they add the second pull direction; do not do this.

Then once that tension is established in the L shoulder and lat, move the R arm into a position where, while maintaining both tensions, you try to turn the shoulders to the R. Add contractions by using the waist muscles to try to turn/pull yourself out of that position; pause, relax everything, and reapply all three forces (arm pull, lat sweep, and both shoulder's rotation. Make it stronger by pressing the ball of the R foot away (the accelerator). This pulls the tense arm out of the body, adding a very strong lat stretch.

Complicated directions, but nothing feels like this.

[Pat (pogo69)]

23 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

but that's okay. I've found something that works, and I'll continue to use it. 

That is the crux of everything discussed here, and most everything worth pursuing.

23 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

There's so much going on with the neck, the shoulders, the traps, rhomboids, that this feels like one big undiscovered country. I'd appreciate hearing about anyone else's experience with tension in these areas. What's worked? What's illuminated? What hasn't worked? 

I experience a lot of tension/discomfort/pain around these areas.  Neck, traps, scapular, thoracic mostly.  Sitting in a chair for 8+hrs a day (in conjunction with my admittedly awful posture) isn't helping, but I try to mitigate it as much as possible by moving around, off the chair and changing sitting position.

Chronic lifestyle contributors aside, my upper body is always much happier if I am performing regular postural/alignment practises; like hanging, scapular movements (scapular pushups and active/passive hanging), hollow and arched body holds.

15 hours ago, Nathan said:

Just remember that it's all connected. I find this particularly true for the whole neck/shoulders/scaps/pecs area, but it's very likely that the issue is not where you feel the discomfort (or at the very least certainly not solely there in the vast majority of cases).

This.  I will occasionally get my partner to do some body work / releases on me.  The "magic" rarely happens in the same place that I experience discomfort/pain.

1 hour ago, Kit_L said:

You are a candidate for the awesome accelerator stretch! I will video this one day, but see if you can follow it from this

Awesome!  I'll be giving this a go, too.  I think I can visualise it from text.

[Naldaramjo]

On 5/30/2019 at 8:15 AM, Kit_L said:

You are a candidate for the awesome accelerator stretch! I will video this one day, but see if you can follow it from this:

등

Thanks for this detailed description, @Kit_L. It was a bit complex to read at first, but after experimentation, the directions become intuitive. At the end of the day, simply feeling the experience has gone a long way towards making this (and, of course, all other) movement work. 

I thought I'd talk about the idea of sensitivity, because it relates to certain revelations I've had while stretching. 

It's very easy for my stretching to become competitive. I tend to fall into the "gotta be better than last time" mentality that is no doubt a vestige of the "more reps than last time" mentality that guided my muscle-building efforts years ago. This has no doubt been both a blessing (motivating) and a curse (counterproductive), and it's a state of mind that I've learned to recognize. As a result, I've been able to attenuate its influence. 

But I think there's another aspect that drives this more aggressive approach to stretching, and that is the desire to really feel something going on in the muscle, to get something intensely tangible out of the experience. Well, it is easy to feel a muscle contract in hostile opposition to chaotic movement, but it takes sensitivity to get in touch with more subtle feedback. Sensitivity, then, is what I have been trying to cultivate, in the hopes that I might, through keener awareness, not do so much violence (not necessarily overt) towards my own body. I've a ways to go, but, focusing on the quality of the sensation, rather than its intensity, has been worthwhile. I often meditate before doing any deeper stretching to encourage relaxation, but also, I think, it opens me up to the subtle workings of my body in a way that simple recall of intention does not. The mind does not govern the body, after all. 

This is encouraging progress. What it's illuminated (again) is just how confused my hips and shoulders were. But, there is a tangible difference to how things feel now and how they felt before.  Things are waking up and softening. At last. A long ways to go, but at least I'm on a path that leads somewhere.

 

On 5/30/2019 at 9:57 AM, pogo69 said:

This.  I will occasionally get my partner to do some body work / releases on me.  The "magic" rarely happens in the same place that I experience discomfort/pain.

Gotta work on getting a partner! One day...
 

[Naldaramjo]

The Reenchantment Trilogy continues...

I'm about halfway through Morris Berman's second book, Coming to Our Senses. It's just as dense as The Reenchantment of the World, but it sure is worth it.  Re: the 5 bodies/levels of consciousness...

- The Physical Body
- The Body Image
- The Unconscious Body
- The Magic Body
- The Spiritual Body

...does anyone have experience with altered states during meditation, or even daily life? The idea of these bodies being "stepping stones" on the path towards complete mind/body reunification (participating consciousness, self/other dissolution) is compelling, but it comes across esoteric, and it is hardly given the justice it deserves in Coming to Our Senses. Not the author's fault...he can only cover so much. But these bread crumbs he left are tantalizing...

[Naldaramjo]

By working on basic external hip rotation flexibility, I've noticed changes in

- Lower back tension (QL)
- Hamstring tension
- Adductor tension
- Calf tension 

And, contrary to what I'd thought, it turns out that my TFL and hip flexors did need to be strengthened. They were always strong according to basic assessments, but strength in the body is relative, and my quadriceps are quite powerful, perhaps to the point where even "baseline" TFL and HF strength is insufficient to promote/maintain a balanced muscle tension relationship. The interplay between all these muscles is truly fascinating. 

Another major milestone is that I can now, seated, without rounding my back, lift my knees towards my chest, feeling the muscle sensation not as an intense cramp in the TFL, but as a pull through the front of the thigh (and even some of the groin). I can't pull the entire way (and I'm not sure if this is ultimately even possible), but it does promise a new degree of freedom within my hips, and it is encouraging.
 

[Naldaramjo]

Coming to Our Senses was pretty dense in the middle, and I got a bit lost in the historical names of people and places, but Part III was brilliant, and was illuminating to finally feel some emotion coming out of what was largely a dry examination of somatic history: this was a matter dear to Berman's heart. 

Quote

When you've lost your body, you need an ism.

Having just begun Wandering God, I think it's safe to say that I'll enjoy this book just as much if not more than the previous two. The revolutionary thinking and its implications are impossible to forget, and they've helped me come to terms with a lot of my own suspicions about modern life. 

[mytype1collagenis2tight]

On 6/24/2019 at 11:57 PM, Naldaramjo said:

Wandering God

I'll really be interested in your take on this book; ordering a copy for myself now. Thanks for the post.

[Naldaramjo]

On 7/6/2019 at 2:12 PM, mytype1collagenis2tight said:

I'll really be interested in your take on this book; ordering a copy for myself now. Thanks for the post.

I'd be happy to talk about it with you. Let me know when you're a ways through/finished the book. Hopefully, I'll recall enough then to be a worthy conversation partner.

[Naldaramjo]

On 7/6/2019 at 2:12 PM, mytype1collagenis2tight said:

I'll really be interested in your take on this book; ordering a copy for myself now. Thanks for the post.

I also recommend tackling Berman's two other books exploring the evolution of human consciousness in The West - The Reenchantment of the World, and Coming to Our Senses. I suppose it could be enjoyed as a standalone, but he makes numerous references to his previous books.

[Naldaramjo]

Outer hip stretches these days

As I mentioned in another post, I am doing a sort of "standing pigeon pose" kind of stretch:

 I place my front leg externally rotated on an elevated support, around hip level, so that the outer side of my lower leg is entirely braced. I then slowly move my upper body around, focusing on initiating the movement from my hips, as opposed to reaching in a particular direction with my arms, shoulders, or head. I've noticed that I have some very particular tight lines that my body can very easily move around if I am not diligent in this way. 

This has been quite effective, and I've been occasionally incorporating contraction cycles. Recently, I have been tackling these contractions with a bit more creativity. The typical intention would be to press the elevated leg into the elevated support, and that works, to a certain degree, but I've also been experimenting with exactly which part of the elevated leg I press into the support - the foot, the mid calf, or the knee. This change in force vector dramatically affects which outer hips muscles are contracted, and I specifically notice the "sharpness" of the sensation increasing as I move towards the knee. Additionally, once this specific contraction is released, what is felt in the hip muscles is a more holistic stretching sensation, as if I am moving through the tight muscle as opposed to around them.

What's clear to me is that the exploratory, sensation-guided approach is the way to go. What's also clear is that it is way more difficult to write down the specifics of such an approach than it is to practice it!

Reading...

Runaway, by Anthony Chaney...follows the work of Gregory Bateson and chronicles of the development of the concept of an ecological consciousness. Fascinating. Some of the material is familiar, having formed a part of Morris Berman's Reenchantment of the World narrative, but in general it is much more fleshed out. 

 

[Nathan]

2 hours ago, Naldaramjo said:

ecological consciousness

(If you haven't already...) You might want to check out Glen Mazis, David Abram, and Charles Eisenstein. They all seem to have some really interesting ideas to share related to this. Eisenstein has his own podcast that has some really great interviews too.

[Naldaramjo]

10 hours ago, Nathan said:

Charles Eisenstein

Thanks for the suggestions. In fact, Charles Eisenstein's book The Ascent of Humanity was the first book I read that validated my sense of wrongness with contemporary culture. Eisenstein, in my view, is often on point, but he also doesn't know when to quit, and I think he needs more critical editors. He is an idealist, or, more depressing, he is enslaved to the hierarchical religious framework (Gaia Theory) mentality, not realizing that it is as much a symptom of societal dysfunction as everything else he is up in arms against. The second book of his I read was Climate: A New Story, which, again, was on point much of the time, and in it the concept of an ecological consciousness sits centre stage. That he can't seem to conceive of an ecological consciousness without invoking myth is perhaps the greatest flaw in his work, but what he has said about education, science, our relationships with the world and with each other, and his general narrative of the Story of Separation...all these resonate deeply with me. I haven't checked out his podcast in a while, but it was nice to see and hear him in the Happen Films Documentary Living the Change.

I've since rediscovered this anarchistic vein in my personality through works such as Morris Berman's trilogy and the book mentioned above. It's been refreshing to read works with compelling intellectual rigor address similar concepts to those Eisenstein brought up and reach similar conclusions. No idealists here, but also no shortcuts. 

I've been wanting to read Dave Abram's The Spell of the Sensuous and Becoming Animal for a while now, so thanks for the reminder. Glen Mazis I hadn't heard of until this post, so I appreciate his mention as well.

Have you read much of these authors? What's your take?

[Naldaramjo]

Meditation

I've been sitting longer these days - 30 minutes.

During these sessions, I've been "reverse breathing," which I've found has given me a much better sense of stability while encouraging relaxation. I also find that this method helps me to be better aware of my spine and its orientation. With this awareness, it's much easier to feel "blocks," or more plainly, to feel where support and activation is lacking. It's hard to articulate, but then subjective awareness often is.

The mental world is often very painful. Much struggling these days. I suppose this is spiritual growth. Meditation practice has become an important part of me radical accepting reality as it is, both within my body and in the external environment. Yet, just as the body has its blocks, so too does the mind. Are they related? Absolutely. Will I ever truly know the nature of that relationship? I don't know.

Trauma as manifested in the body remains to be as compelling a concept as it was when I first learned about "character armour," and everything I've read about it has reinforced my belief in the reality of somatic experience, but honestly, sometimes what the mind creates or develops, seemingly out of thin air, seems to me to be the product of a restless creature just looking to stir shit up, unrelated to anything in the neck, shoulders, back, hips, etc...and the more open I become to what's going on, the more "goes on." 

I do almost all my practice alone, and I am sure the isolation has made these realizations feel more significant than they are, but sometimes I wish someone would promise me a light at the end of the tunnel, not another tunnel, and another...I know not to expect enlightenment, or ecstatic experience, and deep down I know that such altered states of consciousness, while certainly illuminating, will not save me from myself. But sometimes myself is just...exhausted at being. 

Onward and upward forward...