Finding freedom, choosing joy

[Moni]

Hello! My name is Moni and I’m 34 years old. More than 30 of them I didn't move at all. The result was horrible on a physical and mental level. That has changed a lot over the last years and I want to share a bit of my journey. I don't have a fixed structure in mind how to do that and I don't have any expectations. I just feel like I found the right place to do so. Let’s see how it goes …

Today I'm talking about the things I do/try.

Morning rituals (Monday-Friday)

1. Nauli  (An abdominal exercise derived from yoga. I think in bodybuilding it's called stomach vacuum.) at an open window. I do this because it's fun and wakes me up.

2. Trataka (a concentration exercise from yoga, where you look into a candle.) This helps me calm my mind.

3. A mix of joint movement and personalized daily stretches.

4. Mini meditation. Question asked: What am I feeling in my body and mind. Followed by 3 deep breaths while feeling the body as one piece.

Spending time outside (everyday)

Spend at least 20 minutes outside, no matter how terrible the weather is.

Long walk at least once a week, day hike at least once a month.

Eating habits

For most of my life I mainly ate cake/cookies and bread with cheese. It's not healthy and it will never happen again.

Internet/Tv rules

Absolutely no doomscrolling (that's when something bad happens (like a war, a plane crash, a pandemic) and you read everything and as much as possible about it while forgetting about your own life)

Strength training (4-6 times a week)

1. I train the classics (deadlift, bench press, overhead press, squat) for strength.

2. My other strength exercises vary every 3-4 months and are very individualized.

Yoga (always like in 24/7)

1. Most of it takes place in the mind. Difficult to explain. But after almost 4 years of practice, I can say that yoga has become a part of me. Or I became a part of it.

2.Yoga Nidra (guided lying relaxation). Monday to Friday. I've been doing this with Kit's recordings for over a year. Kit, I will forever be grateful to you. Without these recordings, I probably would never have found out what relaxation actually is and, more importantly, what it feels like.

3. Asanas (Yoga poses). I do classic Hatha Yoga (pose after pose, hold a few breaths, no flowing/jumping in between) Monday through Friday evenings. Yin Yoga (3-10 minutes per pose while relaxing as much as possible) on weekends.

4. Pranayama (breathing exercises). Try to do this for 20 minutes a day. I'm still having a hard time finding my footing here, but every once in a while, I can feel a spark that reassures me that there is something worth exploring.

Mobility and stretching (every day sometimes just minutes, sometimes much longer)

A mixture of tensing/relaxing as taught in stretch therapy, limbering and physiotherapeutic exercises with foam rollers, self-massage, rubber bands, etc.

Animal Movement/Rolling Pattern/Primal Movement

I've just discovered it and hope to bring a little more ease into my everyday movements and overall reduce stiffness. In the long term I also think this will help with movement coordination and give me access to Vinyasa Yoga (smooth, flowing transitions between yoga poses in harmony with breathing). I can't enjoy it at the moment because I really lack the suppleness and grace. 

Working with images

I`m currently reading the book “Dynamic Alignment Through Image” by Eric N. Franklin. That's eye-opening. It helps me to better understand bone structure and joints. I'm very curious how this will develop.

Happy stretching and greetings from Germany

 

[Moni]

Highlights of the week:

The good:

- My overhead press has improved a lot in the past few weeks. My old weight of 27kg for heavy singles is now my weight for a top set of 5. 30 kg went up smoothly. I attribute this to paused overhead presses.

- Got a few cm deeper into my side split attempts. Now it feels like the gracilis is no longer the weakest/most inflexible muscle. Guess pectineus took that role.

- Imagery works for me. Some of the images in my new book give me instant results. I finally understood the sacrum (where it is, what it does ect.) and “dropped it to the ground like a heavy rock”. Improved relaxation like magic!

- I can do lunges. Yes, I could always do that. But... for the first time I felt the right muscles. Plus, they feel stable and balanced going up and down. Most importantly, the balls of the feet in the back leg are now touching the ground. (I started doing them to improve flexibility and strength in the feet)

The bad: Nothing.

The strange:

Overstretched (?) a nerve (?) in my right chest/shoulder/arm.

I did a pretty intense workout including dumbbell chest flys. Later that day I tried to flip my grip in pigeon pose with a strap. I've been trying to do this every few months for years. It never worked at all. I'm sure my body never did this move (in the shoulder) before. I'm also not able to explain this movement, which is likely part of the reason why I can't do it.

Somehow it worked on the left (first an empty feeling while doing it, then a very uncomfortable strong stretch for my already well used chest muscles). On the right it did work too, but I had to use more force. Didn't feel anything but a sensation of too much like everywhere.

Was it wise to do that? No. Was it worth it? Presumably. As it did not affect movement or strength of any kind and disappeared after only two days. I'm sure if I try again in a few days it will then be possible and no longer have any ill effects.

 

 

 

[Moni]

Highlights of the last weeks:

The good:

I spent a lot of time outdoors over Easter and the last weekend. Walks/hikes …

I am now confident that my feet are capable of (a lot more) dorsiflexion. I had real doubts because even as a toddler I was never able to deep squat. What helped me was imagination again. Now, as I bend my knees, I imagine my talus kicking open a salon door (lateral and medial malleolus) backwards. We're talking millimeters, but it's a start.

I walked backwards down a wall for the first time. I don't know what the exercise is called. The goal is to eventually slide from standing into a full backbend.

My wrists are finally flexible enough to practice handstands.

Update for flipping the grip in pigeon pose:

As expected, this now works better with every try.

The not so perfect:

I'm feeling a bit stuck with my front split progression. The last few weeks I have focused more on a Yin Yoga oriented approach. Just relaxation, no contractions. I think it's time for a change …

I really want to learn more fluid movements/flows/skills. But I don't see how to fit that into my schedule. I also struggle with motion analysis/up and down scaling/programming. I just got stuck and feel so clumsy, but I can't let go of the idea either.

[Moni]

I hope everyone reading this is doing well!

The last days have been great:

- Yesterdays hike has been very beautiful. Everything is so green

- Last week I reached a long chased goal. I deadlifted 100 kg. As a very small women ... that's not too bad.

- I somehow untangled my right hip. It happend while working with an imagination regarding the tongue. I imagined the bony base of the tonge as a swing. It felt nice, I relaxed and than the magic happend: My weight shifted back and towards the left. Something more (whatever?) happend in the right hip. Since then I did it multiple times a day. Guess it manifested since everything I do feels more balanced.

[Nathan]

5 hours ago, Moni said:

- Yesterdays hike has been very beautiful. Everything is so green

Feel free to share pictures! 

5 hours ago, Moni said:

- Last week I reached a long chased goal. I deadlifted 100 kg. As a very small women ... that's not too bad.

Congrats! As a small man, I can appreciate these numbers!