Jason Alan Griffin :: The Blog

2012 Fun with Yoga

2012-01-23T09:54:00.000-08:00

Here’s some of the yoga poses I’m working on this month....

In this video, I show some warm-up, preparatory poses before I start getting into the more challenging stuff.

At 1:40 I make an attempt at my Scorpion. I held it for a few seconds, but that’s all I need, because I’m not solid on the pose. My right shoulder is just finally getting to the place where it can do its part to support me in the right position. It’s been just about three full years, now, since I shredded it. So, it’s been a long, slow healing process, but its encouraging to be able to support headstands and scorpions again.

Then, at 1:50 I’m practicing my Garland pose. This is a deceptively hard position, but every time I practice it, I get a little bit closer to it.

At 1:55 I start to practice my Crow pose, which is something I have been doing for over a decade and it is no problem for me. But I’m now starting to graduate into the Crane pose, which is like the Crow only both arms are locked straight. Instead of being able to kneel on the back of my arms, my elbow needs to be straight and I have to use the strength of my core to hold me up. On this particular day, when I tried to straighten my arms, I planted my face in the mat. I thought it was kind of amusing, so I left it in the video. Enjoy. (FYI, it didn’t hurt.)

At 2:20 I’m doing a long, passive stretch for my adductors (the muscles of my inner thigh). I held the stretch for about three minutes, letting gravity work its magic. I also used my hands to encourage the muscles to relax and let go; you can see me tapping on them and massaging them. And then, I’m contracting my abdominal muscles while keeping the thigh muscles relaxed. It is a mental challenge for me because I have established a neurological connection between my abs and my thighs that doesn’t serve me. I have a bad habit of simultaneously contracting my thighs and abs, which prevents me from enjoying hip freedom when I’m exerting force from my core. So the crunch-like things you’re seeing is all about me unlearning that connection. I’m feeling my legs and teaching them to stay relaxed as I contract my abdominals by themselves.

From 4:00 to the end, I’m meditating. I have started to do the Yoga Kriyas, which are meditation activities. They keep my mind very busy, which helps promote a nice meditation. Most of the other techniques I’ve tried leave too much opportunity for my mind to wander. When I practice the Kriyas, I really feel like I’ve gone somewhere.

During today’s session, I also worked on my Monkey pose (aka the splits). I have a sequence of about four or five positions that lead up to the Monkey, as you can see in this video...

At this point, obviously, I’m not into the Monkey yet. But just like all the yoga poses, I’m improving on it every time I practice. I’m now sitting comfortably on the brick and getting my torso more and more erect. In today’s video I can see that I still need to eliminate some of the arch in my lower back and to contract my rectus abdominus so that my rib cage doesn’t stick out. But none of that can happen until I gain more flexibility in the hips--especially in the extension. Right now, the tightness of my hip flexors are pulling my pelvis into an anterior tilt, which exaggerates the lower back curve.

Even though I’m not doing what would be considered a proper Monkey pose, I do get a lot of benefit from this practice. This is what a lot of people don’t appreciate about yoga. I see many people struggling so much to do the completed pose, that they don’t appreciate the benefits they’re getting from the struggle itself. Notice that I ‘worked’ on the pose for about two and a half minutes and then held the actual pose for about four seconds. It’s more about the work getting there than the end product.

In this video I’ve created a new position by combining two classics. When I sit and position my legs to do the Seated Half-Spinal Twist position, oftentimes my butt isn’t evenly on the floor. One cheek is sometimes hovering above the floor, being suspended by shortness and tension in my hips. So by sitting in the Seated Twist position, but putting my arms in the shape of the Eagle pose, the pressure of my arms, pushes down on my legs and allows my butt to make firm and even contact with the floor. So after holding that “Seated Eagle” for a few seconds, I can then go into a Seated Spinal Half Twist, with much better grounded connection. I can also use that same “Seated Eagle” position to prepare my body for a regular, standing Eagle pose.

And this video shows my very first attempt at an Athletic Supine Bow. Some people call the Supine Bow a “wheel” but I know the Wheel pose as something different. My goal in the Athletic Supine Bow is to go into a solid Supine Bow pose (as you can see in the video at 2:10) and then lift one arm off the ground, and use my core to lift that arm up and reach to the sky with it. I can’t do it yet. You can see at 2:30, I finally do get one arm off the floor, but I’m not strong enough to get that arm up toward the ceiling. You may notice, too, that I can lift the right arm off the floor, but not the left. This is because of the injury in my right shoulder. After three years, it’s still lagging behind the left side in strength. After making a few attempts on each side to lift the arm, I then did a few Supine Bow Pushups, hoping to build up that strength. I will continue to work on this movement and will hopefully be doing it in a few weeks.

***********

2012 Reboot

2012-01-22T18:39:00.000-08:00

OK. So, I got off track.

This whole past week I was... well I... I sort of blew it. I guess I was off in another world or something, but I didn’t do my exercises or my shopping trips, my morning routine or my nine cups a day of vegetables. In a word, I failed. But, the important thing is to be resilient and not let this become all about me failing.

I can sit here and blame the snow, the power outage, the injury I had in my hand or anything, but the reality is, in the end, I didn’t do what I set out to do. Excuses don’t change that, they only maybe help us feel better about it. So instead of excuses, I’m going to reboot and do it right this time.

“You can’t fail if you haven’t given up yet.”

So I'm not going to give up, I’m going to take this opportunity to go over what was and wasn’t working with my program and move forward.

First and foremost, it’s crucial to re-assess my goals. Since I’m always working towards them, my goals will be changing and my priorities shifting. Also, as my circumstances change, my desires might, too. It’s silly to strive for goals based on old circumstances. Also, revisiting my goals keeps me in touch with my motivation and revitalizes my interest in them. So they are....

ONE: To follow an exercise program to maintain a physical body that is balanced, symmetrical and proportional. This is a long-term goal that I’ve had for as long as I can remember. It still motivates me when I think about it, so I’m sticking with this one. I love the workout program I’m using, I just need to remind myself not to push too hard, which is my tendency.

TWO: To eat nine cups of produce a day. I am committed to making a habit of eating in a way that promotes maximum health. I love the feeling of eating lots of vegetables. It was working for me, but I was never sure I was measuring them correctly, and there was a lot of planning involved with eating all the vegetables. I think if I did stick with it, though, it could easily become second nature, just like any eating habit. I’m still a firm believer in the power of natural eating, so I’m keeping this as a goal.

THREE: To spend at least twenty minutes daily in each of the following: movement, breathing reduction and meditation. I struggled with this one. The breathing reduction work in the morning was incredible; I’m definitely keeping that part. And the meditation was fine, too, although I found myself easily distracted. (I totally get why yoga says to exercise and exhaust the body first, because the meditations that I do after my workouts are usually so easy and deep.) In any case, I will be keeping the meditation work, but I still need to explore which type of meditation is going to work best for me. And the daily exercise part wasn’t working at all. I was doing a nice simple routine, but the prospect of doing it every day for the rest of my life just wasn’t comforting like the others. It was daunting, and irritating to my psyche after just the first week. So, I’m going to have to switch that to something else. I think a morning session of Nia Five Stages, without using any timer, but just going through the five stages once, every morning at my own pace, would be delicious daily ritual. And it is much more on par with the other two things I’m doing in that morning hour, so I feel like that's a good adjustment.

Ok. So my goals are basically the same as they were at the beginning of the year, with a few minor tweaks. Now the big thing that contributed to the demise of my program was my negligence around the creating of my habits.

Meaning...

I have been practicing a 21 day rule with my clients for many years. For the best results, I have found that I have to be there, at their side, for the first 21 days of a new habit we’re creating. Once they’ve repeated it for more than three weeks, they can be unsupervised and the likelihood of them continuing it on their own, long-term is great.

But I didn’t hold myself accountable for that full 21 days. I wasn’t there for myself -- I only made myself accountable for less than 14 days. On Friday of the second week, I “took a break” from keeping diligent account of my new habits, and I never got back on track. They, predictably, all faltered and by the end of week three, were totally gone.

So I’m going to start again, but this time I’ll be sure to keep myself accountable for the full 21 days.

I learned something. Here’s what really worked about what I was doing:   I was writing down what I had done each hour of the day. So I couldn’t let an hour go by without ‘doing’ something or I’d have nothing to write. Or, worse yet, I’d have to write "sat and surfed the internet from 9am to 10am." UGH! So, this Hourly Accounting not only helped prevent me from stagnating and wasting my day, but it helped point out my tendencies. Then I could either use them to my advantage as they were or, being aware of them, I could tweak them in a way that I could then use them to my advantage. I also made notes of what I ate and when I felt hungry, so I ended up working out a schedule for myself that works with my current life and my personal tendencies. This makes it so much easier to stick with, and it keeps me satisfied.

2012 Meditation

2012-01-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

I’d gotten out of the habit of meditating. So, on New Years Day, I took the opportunity to reintroduce it into my life in the form of a Daily Morning Ritual, which also includes a twenty minute joint-mobilizing movement sequence and twenty minutes of breathing reduction practice.

The first few times I sat, I was relaxed and it went fine, but I was aware of the time passing and of not being comfortable and I didn’t ever really disappear into the meditation like I remembered doing in the past.

Then, I switched my technique and got out my old mala beads. After completely going through the whole string of beads and mentally repeating my mantra, I focused on circulating my attention through my chakras.

Except for the first day, which was an anomaly (perhaps due to the novelty and excitement of getting started again), I was impatient as I sat. There was even one morning when my body was strongly fighting being still, and I was restless. I actually got up and turned the timer off with about three minutes left. The time after that, I was going to do the same thing, but I noticed that there was only about 13 seconds left, so I just went back to my seat and waited it out.

As the days went by I got more and more patient and went deeper in. In fact, the last few times seemed to go really quickly. Although I still found myself wondering when the timer will go off after some point. But all in all, the twenty minute period is feeling shorter and shorter.

Yesterday (two weeks into this daily practice), I finally sat for twenty minutes and was aroused out of my meditation by hearing the timer go off. Basically I was immersed in my meditations. What I mean is that my mind, being out of practice, did wander now and then, but I was focused on meditating the whole time. And rather than getting lost in the thoughts of my life, I was able to observe that I was getting distracted and get right back into my mantra.

Today I chose not to use the timer, so I don’t know how long I sat for. (and actually, I laid in a corpse pose rather than sitting). I know the best advice is to meditate the same way every time, but I had to follow a strong impulse to do it differently this morning. I’m glad I did. I really enjoyed a nice meditation and had that feeling afterwards that I had been somewhere far, far away.

Next week, I plan to go back to sitting and after doing that for a bit longer, I hope to enjoy a deeper comfort with my practice. Then I will begin to re-visit the Yoga Kriyas from my big yoga book. It was while practicing the Kriyas that I have experienced my most vivid, strange and colorful meditations. But the Kriyas are so complex and taxing, that I didn’t want to start doing them again until I had a good base of experience behind me.
I think three weeks should be sufficient. I’ll blog more as I progress.

2012 Exercise

2012-01-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

My January workouts are progressing nicely.

Here is a video sampling of the progression I’m cycling through for this month.

It’s a four day cycle of increasing intensity and changing focus.

************DAY 1************************
It’s not a day off, but Day One is for RECOVERY. I usually do lots of simple movements, stretching and relaxing. I don’t sweat on this day; instead I’m more focused on treating myself nicely and undoing any damage I may have done the days prior.

************DAY 2************************

Day two I call my FLOW day. I may do Nia or Yoga on this day. It serves to sort of re-amp my body after a day of rest and to prepare myself for the onslaught of the upcoming two days. I will get deep with my stretching today, and may even use a foam roller or a rubber ball to address specific needy parts. I may sweat today, but only a mild sweat. I don’t usually push myself much on this day, I treat it as flirting with my edge without going over.

************DAY 3************************

Day three is my STRENGTH/STABILITY day. I’m working on muscular strength, alignment and muscle recruitment. This month, in particular, I’m focused on activating what I call my SUPER HUMAN strength. This is a way of bracing my body to improve my access to power and strength. It is as much about ‘teaching’ my body to utilize its SUPER HUMAN as it is about developing strength. I’ve been amazed and delighted by what I’m discovering and about the newly found strength I’m uncovering. I’m also developing a workshop called SUPER HUMAN STRENGTH SECRETS, where I will teach people how they can instantly access this power and become super human, too.

On this particular day, I also worked a little bit on my POWER BREATHING technique. I completely exhale while contracting all the muscles of my core. I hold this position, and my breath for as long as I can. When I feel the urge to breathe again, I relax my contraction and unblock my glottis. I’m not breathing in, but just relaxing and letting some air drop in passively. That’s all the air I get before I do it again; exhaling and contracting completely and holding it until I feel I need another breath.

When I first started doing this, I would panic and have to take a few ‘catch up’ breaths in between reps. But now I’m to the place where my nervous system can handle it. I feel like this kind of conditioning is indispensable for real life fitness. Quick recovery is the key.

************DAY 4************************

And then, Day four is my METABOLISM day. I work myself to and a bit beyond my edge. Today’s focus is on getting my heart rate and breathing rate up and pushing a little bit to and beyond my edge of comfort. And the real key here is how quickly I can recover from this. I give myself only ten seconds in between sets to recovery. I”m teaching my body that that’s all it gets so it needs to rise to the occasion and recover instantly after a hard bout of work, because the next one is coming up right away.

During the cool down of my Metabolism workout, I noticed that my shoulder rotator muscles were very tight, so I ended my cool down with some specific movements and stretches to address that. I included them in the video because I thought they were kind of interesting. I’ve never seen some of the things I was doing, and they were actually very effective at loosening my rotators.

Thanks for reading and watching. Let me know what you think.

Night Sweats

2012-01-14T11:37:00.000-08:00

Back in November, when I first started taking Lamisil, I had a bit of an issue with waking up in the middle of the night in a soaking wet bed, covered in sweat. It was gross.

I wasn’t sure what caused the sweats, but since they only happened those first two nights, I figured it was either one of two things:

ONE: A reaction to the Lamisil which I eventually became accustomed to and stopped sweating.

TWO: A reaction to a tetanus shot I got at the same time I got my Lamisil Rx.

But now, nearly three months later, I only have a few pills left. (I’d say I have about a week and a half left of my three-month dose.) And it happened again. Three nights ago, about 4am, I was awaken by the feeling that the bed was ice cold. It was soaking wet and so was I. I had to go get a towel to lay back down on the bed and sleep through the night.

This isn't my bed, but this is exactly what it was like

Two nights ago it didn’t happen, but then again last night, or rather this morning, again at 4am, I was drenched in sweat. This time I went and put on a pair of sweat pants and a hoodie so I could get back into bed and get those last few hours of sleep.

So, I don’t know what to think. What causes night sweats? I didnt’ get any other tetanus shots or any meds of any kind this week. I don’t have a fever and my diet is good. I don’t feel particularly stressed or worried, and I”m not going through menopause, although I think I’m the age that women are when they do go through the change. I wonder if men have similar hormonal shifts in their mid to late forties? 
I’d give up my search for the answer, happily, if I could just sleep through the night and remain dry. But in the meantime, any insight into this topic would be greatly appreciated. 

I looked it up on WebMD and the stuff I see there is definitely NOT what I want to hear. They present this list of eight possible reasons for night sweating, and none of them is something I'd want. I love #2, though. Makes me laugh. So it seems that one possible reason for night sweats is a condition where the body just excessively sweats for no reason. How's that for a reason? Now I've always been a prodigious sweat producer, but never (until now) made puddles in bed at night.

More news as it develops....

“Super Human Rock Nia”

2012-01-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

-- a Nia Playshop
February 25th, 2012 --

4:00pm - 6:00pm

at Waves Studio
232 Division Street NW
Olympia, WA

Register with Julia Annis* to experience the world premiere of my newest Nia routine, ROCKIN'!

This playshop will be instructional as well as practical.

You may be leaving some power on the table.

I'm going to teach some things you can do with your body to become instantly stronger. Employing these little tricks can turn your human strength into Super Human strength. This isn't developing strength, although it will help with that, but this is accessing instantaneous strength that you haven't been using until now.

In this playshop I will teach you how to do movements you never knew you were strong enough to do. Then, we will put what we learned into action in a Classic Rock Nia Class. The movements of the routine will be classic Nia and will focus on influences from the three Martial Arts; AiKiDo, Tai Chi and Tae Kwon Do. We'll sweat to some good old rock 'n roll songs from artists such as The Beatles, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Steppenwolf.

Join us for this fun and enlightening evening of finding your own intrinsic power. No previous Nia experience is needed, but if you've never done Nia before be prepared to be completely blown away by this experience. (just joking, a little bit). Super Human Rock Nia will be about accessing your strength as you are Right Now. It doesn't matter your current level of fitness. Just jump right in!

Cost: Nia teachers and all Belts $10 (early registration by 2/20/12) $15 (day of event)

General Admission $15 (early registration by 2/20/12) $20 (day of event)

Reception with refreshments following the Playshop.

Space is limited. Reserve your spot soon!

*To register by email: julia111annis@yahoo.com
*To register by phone: 360-229-6702
*To register in person: Julia Annis teaches Nia on Thursday at 5:30pm, Saturday at 11am and Sunday at 4pm at Waves Studio.

•

2012 Weekends

2012-01-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

Weekends can be a challenge. Because I work with habits and rituals, my systems get tripped up with all the changes that occur on Saturday and Sunday.

But weekends are a part of life, so I had to come up with a way to avoid the common mistake of letting the weekend unravel all of the work I’ve done. I have been working on putting together a good balanced system of habits surrounding my eating, exercising and meditation.

Since I don’t get up early, I slept through that time slot I’d been using for my morning ritual. And there is a full house here on the weekend, as opposed to during the week when it’s just me and my dog. So the added distraction of bodies could be enough to warrant my throwing my hands up and giving into falling back into my old ways.

So I came up with a workable solution.

First of all, I do allow myself a ‘cheat day’ or a “day off” from any of my programs, no matter what it is. The purpose for the Cheat Day is to allow life to work its way into my idealized schedule. With the cheat day, I can let myself sleep in, ignore my meditation, skip a day of working out, eat a whole box of cookies, etc. and not worry that I’m disrupting my cycles or my progress. I ALLOW myself one cheat day each week, if I need it, so I haven’t technically cheated at all.

When I woke up on Saturday, it was after ten and I went straight for the coffee without breathing, moving or meditating. I also didn’t leave River to go to the store on Saturday. It was basically as if I didn’t have anything new in place for 2012. But because I could label it my “Cheat Day” it made it less traumatic. Instead of feeling like I’ve let myself down, I could just enjoy Saturday, and get back into the swing of it on Sunday. By the time Sunday came around, I had gotten the loafing out of my system and was back on track.

I did make one adjustment, though, for the weekends. I didn’t do my morning ritual in the morning on Sunday, either. But when I worked out at my regular time (2:30 pm) I stuck my breathing and meditating into that session.

So, cheating on Saturday, and back in business on Sunday. Monday is as strong as ever.

Now, this is Tuesday, and all of my routines are still working for me. I didn’t lose any ground on the weekend, in fact I gained strength in my routines by adjusting them for the situation.

Without cheating or the ability to change things around, my New Years Resolutions may have been dead in the water by January 8th. But because I can adjust on the fly, I’m still working the program.

And now I know that my chosen lifestyle can survive long term, even through weekends and holidays, thanks to my adjustments.

Yesterday I ended up only getting in seven cups of vegetables because I got distracted and skipped my three o’clock meal -- even though I was hungry.

But this is one of those things that you just get right back on your horse and ride. Today I’ll get my nine cups. Its 2pm right now and I’ve already had 2 cups and have four more in the oven. Then, if I just have three with dinner tonight, I’m at nine. It’s getting easier than it was when I first started. The amount of vegetables seemed ridiculous when I started but now it’s starting to feel more normal.

Also yesterday was my High Intensity workout day. I didn’t record it, so I have no video to post, but it was a good hard workout. I moved forward, increasing the sophistication of some of the movements, so I can tell I’m getting stronger.

Today I’m on No Intensity, which is basically resting, recovering and dealing with tightness and soreness. Tomorrow I’ll do my yoga.

Another Uplifting Nia Experience

2012-01-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

I got this email from a Nia student who used to take my class in New York.

He said I could post it on my blog so here it is.


Nia Class in Action

"Taking Jason Griffin's Nia class has always been a positive experience. For someone like me who is middle age and not in the best of shape Nia really improved my muscle term and flexibility within a relatively short time. I've seen sharper mental focus in just a few weeks and a difference in my energy levels and flexibility. There are times when it was more challenging and Jason always guided me through it with ease and patience and determination which far exceded my expectations. Plus it can be be much more fun then aerobics but just an effective. It truly can improve endurance, strength and flexibility and you will feel so much better overall. Thanks, Jason, for helping me get back into fitness with Nia!"

Henri, Bronx, NY.

Jason here: Thanks Henri, for that lovely letter. I agree that there is something about Nia that makes it a fun way to get back into shape and improve all of the physical things that you mention, and much more. Also, many people feel much better emotionally after doing a Nia class, and more mentally clear. If you want to find out what Nia will do for you try a Nia class. You'll feel the difference.

Nia Home Page

2012 Soreness

2012-01-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

I am just now making my coffee, which I get to do as a reward for doing my new morning ritual. Today I woke up very sore from yesterday’s workout. Or at least, I think it was from yesterday’s workout. It could still be residual from two days ago. Because usually it takes about 24 hours for delayed onset muscle soreness to show up after exercise, which won’t be until around three o'clock this afternoon. I might be in for some serious soreness then; we’ll see.

I was a bit demotivated this morning because I was so achy and sleepy, but I still went into the room at my scheduled time for my morning breathing, moving and meditating ritual.

Afterwards... Now... I’m so glad I did it! I feel SO much better. It actually felt better today than it has felt all week. So this is an interesting paradox: “The less you feel like doing it, the better it will make you feel when you do.”

Also, it feels good to keep the habit going. I know that habits take a while to become ingrained, so I have to struggle through this period of development before it becomes like second nature. Forcing myself to do it for three weeks should result in it just happening by itself from there on out.

On the exercise front, today is all about rest and recovery. I may get a massage. I will probably take a long, hot bath. I will definitely drink a lot of water and do a lot of light stretching and mobilization to keep everything running smoothly.

Speaking of which, I went to the bathroom three times before 10am this morning. (I guess I ate a lot of fiber yesterday.) I'm well-stocked with plenty of vegetables around so I don’t technically need to go to the store, but I will go anyway, just to keep the habit alive. Maybe I’ll pick up extra toilet paper.

UPDATE - Later that the afternoon:
I’ve been moving and stretching all day and now, it’s almost 5pm and I’m feeling a second wave of soreness all over and a new soreness in my legs. Which makes sense because Wednesday’s workout was more upper body and yesterday more full-body. but I’ll continue to stretch and move. I’m fine with soreness. It’s pain I don’t welcome. And I'm pain-free.

For breakfast I had a pear and then two eggs with a cup each of parsnips, mushrooms and spinach. For lunch, I had 2 cups of cucumbers and a handful of almonds. Then a little bit later I walked to the store to get more coffee beans and coconut oil, and while i was there I bought and ate a cookie, just because I like those, and this is the only store I see them in.

I’m already up to six cups for today, and I haven’t had dinner yet. So today was a breeze. What I love about this approach is that I don’t feel like I’m depriving myself of anything. I can have that cookie and it didn’t go against my goal. It just takes up space in my stomach, which I know I have to save for vegetables. I’ve never thought about it this way before, so it is fascinating to me.

Tonight I’m looking forward to my kale, and I have some sweet potatoes, beets and Brussels sprouts. If I think I’ll still be hungry once I see what that looks like, I’ll decide if I want to add some leftover chicken in there, too.

But it looks like it's going to be plenty of food.

2012 Sweat

2012-01-05T23:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was up to 6 cups of veggies by 4pm, but then a trip to the airport took longer than expected and I got hungry and impatient so I had a burger and fries. My vegetable quota was not met yesterday; I had a couple of bananas for dessert, so by the end of the day, I was two shy of my goal. I was five over the day before, so I’m wondering if I can carry some of those over to yesterday and call it even? haha. I’m just going to assume it will be fine if I just get back up to nine today. No worries.

Yesterday was the first day I really let myself sweat. I’d been at this for four days, but I’d been preparing for and building up to it incrementally. Here is a video of the exercises I did yesterday.

It was a stability and strength day and I was focused a lot on stabilizing my pelvis and my shoulders with my abdomen as I do movements from a variety of angles on an unstable and changing surface. The intensity was only moderate; just enough to make me sweat and struggle a little bit.

Today is more intense and the focus is on bursts of intensity. The movements are more familiar to me, so I’ll be free to give it a little juice to get my breathing and pulse as high as I can without losing control. The goal is to go to extreme high energy output and give myself a very short recovery period and go again. My goal is to push as hard and as fast as I can without losing form, and ideally, without showing any outward signs of struggle. I”m a little bit sore from yesterday’s workout, but I intend to work right through that....

I had a blast sweating and struggling in today’s workout. I earned my rest tomorrow.

Today I got back on track with my vegetable eating. I did walk to the store to pick up a couple of bunches of kale. And I have had an apple, 3 cups of broccoli, 1 cup of red cabbage, 2 cups of beets and 2 cups of kale so far. I’m up to nine cups and haven’t even had dinner yet.

I had some butternut squash and more broccoli with my country style ribs tonight. And then later, for dessert, I had a couple of bananas and some blueberries with peanut butter and honey.

So I went a little overboard on the vegetables today, with the total ending up at thirteen cups.

2012 Vegetables

2012-01-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by this video.

So now, I’m committed to eating nine cups of fresh fruits and vegetables a day. Its not that hard, but it is a lot of vegetables. I’m noticing that although I’m not a vegetarian, I feel like eating meat takes up too much room in my stomach. If I’m going to be able to fit in all the vegetables, its going to push other stuff out of my diet.

Yesterday I started off with a mango. But it wasn’t ripe. It was so sour, I only had two bites and threw it away. Sad. I had an apple instead.

Then, for lunch, I heated up some leftover dinner, which was beef, cauliflower, kale, parsnips, potatoes and rutabagas. I had about two cups of that heated up on top of four cups of chopped and steamed Swiss chard.

After my afternoon workout, I was hungry again, so I had a cup each of roasted cauliflower, roasted beets, raw cucumber and raw spinach with a handful of almonds and topped with lemon juice and olive oil.

About five hours later, I made dinner, which included a cup each of beets, cauliflower, chicken, sweet potatoes and zucchini simmered in a Thai green curry.

So, adding it all up, I ate about 13 cups of produce yesterday. Wow. I thought nine cups was going to be hard, but once I put my mind to it, it was easy. I will say this though...

That’s a lot of vegetables.

At the risk of being crude, I want to say that after all the Swiss chard for lunch I had green poop last night. And due to all the beets I ate, it was purple this morning. Fun.

2012 Establishing New Habits

2012-01-03T10:37:00.000-08:00

I did it this morning!

My new morning ritual is in place. I woke up, took River for a walk and then came back and did my breathing exercises, my morning movements and my meditation, all before going upstairs to have my coffee.

I’m not looking for any earth-shattering results from doing this, but it does give a nice energetic glow to my day.

I’m also all prepared to get my nine cups of fruits and vegetables today. I’ve got some Swiss chard, cucumber, zucchini, some beets, a mango, cauliflower and a sweet potato. I’m guessing it's about nine cups, but I haven’t measured it. I’m also not sure if I’m going to be able to eat it all, or if I’ll eat all of this and then eat even more.

But this is where I’m starting. I’ll have that mango for breakfast...

And I will also be taking a walk to the store at some point today, where I will buy lots more fresh produce.

A bit later this afternoon, I'll be doing a bit of exercise. It will be a slight increase in the intensity (or lack thereof) from my movement yesterday. All I did for exercise yesterday, outside of my daily morning movement, was a single set of High Performance Breathing and some joint mobilization exercises using the elastic band. today I'm going to be doing some yoga.

2012 Check In

2012-01-03T05:50:00.000-08:00

I am going to use my blog to “check in” daily and be sure I keep doing my new rituals. I’ll also be sharing my progress as I keep exploring new facets of my fitness edge.

Today I started what will become my morning ritual. I like this resolution to spend an hour breathing, meditating and moving each day. Although, this morning I didn’t start right away and my day went out of control for a while. So it was mid afternoon before I started my “morning ritual” and almost sunset before I finished. But that’s fine, because I was glad to just do it. Tomorrow morning I can wake up and do it again and since I did it today, it won’t be foreign. I can be so sensitive in the morning when something is foreign.

So, we’ll see how that goes in the morning.

I also did some extra work with elastic bands and high performance breathing, but I’m saving anything intense for after I’ve been at this for a day or so. So that was it for me, movement and exercise-wise today.

I also did a meditation. I couldn’t remember where I had put my mala beads, but while I was looking for them I found a set of mardi gras beads and I used a paper clip so I could get my meditation going. But afterwards I did find my mala beads, so I can use those tomorrow.

I didn’t do my breathing exercises. I couldn’t find my chart and diary and I got distracted while trying to find them and was out of time before I knew what hit me. I am now prepared though. As I said earlier, I can wake up tomorrow morning and easily do my movement, meditation and breathing exercises all before I go upstairs to make my coffee.

OK Now I have a confession:
Here it is January 3 and I want to change my New Years Resolutions already.
My eating habits are already pretty great. I don’t know why I even bothered with that resolution about the sugar and the wheat. It’s not really an issue for me. I do eat those things, but I don’t think the amount that I use is problematic.

But I will eat those nine cups of fruits and vegetables every day. I’m excited about doing that. And furthermore, I want to make it a daily habit to walk to the store and buy fresh produce (or some food of some kind). The walking, the shopping, the getting away from my dog, River, for half an hour, these are all good healthy things. But depriving myself of something that I enjoy and don’t abuse? That’s not healthy. So... All in favor of me changing my mind on day three? .... Opposed? ...

OK. Done.

So...
I’m proud to report that today I did walk to the store, even though it was in the wind and the rain, because I didn’t have any olive oil for dinner. And while I was there I picked up a huge butternut squash, which I can have tomorrow. It felt great to walk and I got some fresh air and fresh food.

2012 Motivation

2012-01-02T12:13:00.000-08:00

How Do I Get Started? How Do I Keep Going?

This time of year, more exercise, diet and fitness programs are started than at any other time of year. In fact, I often use the momentum of this auspicious occasion to re-invigorate my programs. Over the course of the year, I tend to slack off bit by bit so that by the time December rolls around, I’m eating cookies daily and exercising with little frequency. So this seems like a good time to write about how to get and stay motivated.

Some people seem to have no problem convincing themselves that they have the time, the energy and the inclination to exercise and eat healthful food, while others seem to think it would be just as easy to walk straight up the side of a building--in other words, pretty darn impossible.

So what is the difference?

In this article I’m going to explain how I work my mind so that I am motivated to exercise every day and to make healthful choices at each meal. And if you want to, you can work your mind this same way to motivate yourself. This technique works for anything you want to be motivated to do. But you have to do it FULLY. No half-way doing this technique. You have to fully commit and make it as meaningful and powerful as you can, and you will be amazed at how you can get yourself to do things that you’d been struggling with before.

I use visualization in my mind.

Step 1: I create an awesome picture of myself in my head. In this picture, I am in great shape. All of my muscles are perfectly formed and my body fat is low enough so that I can see definition all over. My abs are a beautiful eight-pack, my thighs are thick and sinewy. Not only that, but I’m laughing and playing shirtless in the sunshine. I have tons of energy and am in a great mood. People (in my pictures) are always looking at me and sometimes even cheering because I’m such a fantastic specimen. I also include pictures of me doing my workout in much the same way. I feel physically strong and healthy and look amazing and I’m having a great time.

And then I put that picture right in front of me so that its very close. This is all happening in my mind’s eye. But it would seem like if I reached out my hand, I could touch this picture. The more clear, the more emotionally charged and the more detailed this picture, the better the technique works.

Step 2: I create an opposite picture. In this one, I am not exercising. I am flabby and lacking in tone. My energy is lethargic. The colors of the picture are more drab and grey. My mood is more dampened. The people are still watching but they are only partially interested, milling around. Some are embarrassed for me, some are laughing. My body is achy and stiff and I can barely reach down to tie my own shoes without a great deal of discomfort and strain.

I put that picture, and the accompanying sounds and feelings, directly behind me. So close behind me that if I were to stop moving forward, it might bump me in the butt.

So, are you getting a feeling for what its like in my mind? Once those two pictures are put strongly into place, it is very easy for me to find the motivation to walk into my exercise room and get working. I literally WANT to move away from the bad picture and towards the good picture. I’m compelled by these scenarios, much like Ebenezer Scrooge is faced with the choice of outcomes based on his current actions.

I have used this technique for many things including going to bed at a decent hour, skipping late night snacks, cleaning the apartment, doing my homework, etc. the list goes on.

So, now that I have my pictures in place and my motivation is fired up, the next thing to consider is how to get started on this new venture. I know from experience that starting off at a full gallop is a recipe for disaster. I need to ease myself back into this lifestyle.

I will be blogging daily about how I’m re-instituting this lifestyle into my own life, and I hope that someone out there reading this will find some inspiration and some helpful guidance to make 2012 the year they get themselves on that track they’ve always been promising themselves to get on, but hadn’t found the mindset that supports the lifestyle.

Now, with this mindset, your lifestyle will be supported, and following along this healthful path will soon be its own reward. Thanks for following along with me.

2012 Resolutions

2012-01-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

This year, I’ve decided to blog about my adventures in getting my life back on the health and fitness track. I have to admit, I’ve been coasting for the last few months of 2011.
So, another New Year and another opportunity to assess how much my life has gotten away from me. I often use this time of year to make new promises to myself. And I’m almost always seeking self-improvement through these changes.

I’ve written down some basic Resolutions for the New Year. Notice that the way I word these things are as if they’re already happening. This is the most powerful way to phrase these affirmations. Also, I can never affirm to NOT do something. For example, it won’t work to say “I’m going to stop smoking” as well as it will work to say, “I love to breathe only fresh clean air and I love having healthy lungs.” To me, the energy of the two statements are significantly different.

I also like to give myself a built in reward whenever possible.

So here’s what I came up with:

1- I love to devote an hour of my morning to doing twenty minutes each of light exercises, breathing and meditation. It really makes the day feel much better. Doing it is its own reward, but I also allow myself to have a cup of coffee after I do it, as another type of reward.

2 -I love to eat at least nine cups of fresh fruits and vegetables every day.
And as a reward for that, I allow myself a single, small treat that night.

3- I love to give consideration to my consumption of sugar and wheat and only use both in very limited amounts, if at all.

I could go on, but I want to keep myself from going nuts or from being overwhelmed by all of this change at once. So I made a list of things I wanted and then I chose the three that I felt would make the biggest difference and get me closest to what I wanted to be. Then, if I find that I’m achieving this without too much difficulty, I can always go back and add more in mid-year.

I also got a new dog. I’ve had him for four months now and being in relationship with him has really helped to open my eyes to some of my personality peccadillos. So based on what I’m learning through him, I have a bonus thought for this year. My theme for the year will be PEACE. And by nurturing a positive relationship with my dog, River, I will navigate myself away from anger and impatience into more peace and forgiveness.

INSANE discount on Personal Training

2011-12-20T09:12:00.000-08:00

Hi. I recently had a crazy idea how to share my personal training with people at a super low cost. The more I thought about it, the less crazy it sounded until finally, I thought I'd share it with you now. This makes me super excited; I’m so glad I thought of it. So here goes....

Typically, my rates are $80/half hour for single session, or for a small package of sessions. I also work on a retainer basis; being available for as many sessions, phone calls and emails as the client needs for success in the program I’m prescribing. The monthly rate for that is $399, quarterly is $999 and to have my unlimited services for a whole year is $3600.

But now I am announcing my latest product, which is JAG Virtual Training. For the low price of $95, I will offer my unlimited support for a month. This can include phone calls and emails and possible even my creating personalized videos for you. It’s basically everything that I include in my standard personal training monthly support except for the in-person meetings. So by doing all of your training with me electronically, you save over $300 from my regular monthly rate.

This might be what Dad would have called “giving away the farm” but I want to do it and see how it works. So, for only $95 you could get my daily support for the whole month, if you need it. Or you can call me with a question three times a week. Or you can report into me after every meal. Basically whatever type of support we decide is going to help you achieve your goals, we’ll do it. For a month.

It has been my experience that a month is long enough to make lasting changes in your lifestyle and to have them stick and become part of your life. They say it takes 21 days of repetition to develop an action into a habit. So we can utilize that time period to establish some good habits for you. Whatever you need.

I’m going to limit this offer to the first five people who respond. If the program seems to be beneficial to all parties involved, then I will extend the offer to more people.

So, if you’re interested in some quality training and instruction and some intensive support from an experienced and compassionate trainer, but haven’t been able to afford enough support to make it feasible, this might be your chance. Also, if you have a friend who is thinking of getting support from a professional, this might be a great gift.

To get started, simply send me an email telling me what your goals are and asking to participate in JAG Virtual Training. And we’ll take it from there.

I look forward to hearing from you and helping you reach your goals.

Happy, Healthy Holiday Attitudes

2011-11-23T11:36:00.000-08:00

As we are approaching the holidays, I need to talk about an unhealthy attitude that tends to permeate the traditional proceedings. You may have heard someone say, (or you may have said) “I ate so much last night, I need to work out extra hard today.”

I even see fitness professionals falling into this trap, by advertising a “Burn off Your Turkey Workout Class” for the day after Thanksgiving.

I resent this paradigm. I always tout healthful living; which includes a healthy attitude towards eating and exercise. The holidays celebrations are a part of life and I believe they should be fully lived and enjoyed. But I also have a deep respect for moderation, which should also be practiced within the context of these celebrations.

Keep in mind to start with, you don’t HAVE to overeat at holiday meals. You don’t HAVE to get drunk at the holiday party. You can eat and drink and be merry without going nuts. I have enjoyed many holiday meals and had a few bites of everything in the spread and was able to walk away from the table without feeling stuffed. Very satisfied, but comfortable. I allow myself one plate and I don’t go back for seconds. I’ve also had a drink or two at the Christmas party, but not enough to make me sick or to get me to dance naked on the buffet table. (I don’t need to be drunk to do that, but that’s another story).

The bird should be stuffed, not the pilgrims.

But that isn’t even what really disturbs me. What rubs me the wrong way is this attitude that people have that they need to be punished for their binges by exercising extra hard.

First of all, it doesn’t work that way. You can’t exercise away bad food choices. You just can’t. Exercise is no match against gluttony. The number of calories you consume at a full-on Thanksgiving meal is in the thousands! At an average of 300 calories/hour, you’d need to be on a treadmill all day just to burn that many calories. But even if you did that, that’s still not how it works. You don’t exercise just to burn off the calories you ate. You exercise to condition your body. When your body is conditioned, it burns calories more efficiently.

Secondly, I don’t like the mindset that exercise is a penance. It is a wonderful thing, when done correctly. It can be a treat for your body, mind and spirit when done with the right attitude. Paying for your sins is NOT the right attitude. That is a Fear motivation. Exercising out of fear is going to prevent you from getting many of the benefits that it offers you in the way of a healthy, relaxed mind and a boost of self-esteem hormones and endorphins.

Exercise should be a reward for your mind and your body, not a punishment for holiday eating.

So instead of bingeing and punishing, switch your thinking around for the holidays. Allow yourself to go off your ‘diet’ and enjoy Grandma’s pies. And then have fun doing your regular type of exercise on your regular schedule, whatever that may be.

It might not seem like a big deal, but changing that mindset from Fear to Love will go a long way towards helping you live a happy, healthy life-- all year ‘round.

Toenail Armageddon

2011-10-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

I have a very common affliction. The scientific name is onychomycosis but we know it better as that yellow toenail fungus. My mom had it, and my brother has it, so it seems to be something in our genetic makeup that leaves us susceptible to it.

Mine has been going on for a number of years, and I haven’t been too overly concerned about it. Of course, I wish it weren’t there. It isn’t attractive and its embarrassing. And since a lot of my work is done in bare feet, I don’t have the luxury of hiding my affliction from my colleagues inside socks and shoes.

I’ve looked into treatments, but the main one, Lamisil, is very hard on the liver and has some scary side effects that range from diarrhea, to losing your sense of taste, to liver failure and death. All in all, I would prefer the yellow toenails.

I did attempt every ‘natural’ remedy I came across. I tried tea tree oil, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, clove oil, garlic and sunshine. Some of them did keep the situation under control and some of them did nothing. None of them cured it, but in all fairness, I never stuck to any treatment longer than a few weeks before losing interest and faith.

Recently, I had what I’ve come to call my Toenail Armageddon. A conflux of events all centered on my toenails that seemed to me to be a clear sign that something had to be done.

1- An oil blend that I was using contains cedar oil, so it has a yellow tint to it. I had been using it for about two weeks and it has started to stain my toenails yellow (even the unaffected ones, which I was treating preventatively).

2- The same oil blend contains clove oil, which my skin is very sensitive to, and it, combined with wearing my Vibrams Five Finger shoes in the rain, caused a rash to form on the top of my toe, just this side of my nail bed. I’m not sure if it is an athlete’s foot type of rash or just a reaction to the oil and the friction.

3- I wore a pair of black socks after an application of this oil. The oil leeched the black dye from the socks and my toenails absorbed it, giving them a nice, ugly black ring around the perimeter, which really caused the yellow stain to pop.

4- The big toe nail on my left foot became ingrown; it lodged itself under my skin. I had to dig out the corner of the nail, which left a gaping wound

5- During a Nia class, another dancer and I miscalculated our spacial relationship and we ended up trying to use the same section of the floor to stand on. The end result was her heel jamming into the ends of my toes, creating a beautiful, painful, purple bruise in the middle toe.

6- The dry skin that I tend to keep under control with Keihl’s lotion, was going unattended due to the extra attention to the new oil treatment, so I was experiencing a renewed drying and cracking on my toes.

All this stuff came together in the same week and my toenails looked like they belonged in a zombie movie.

So it was at this time I decided I was going to ‘bite the bullet’ and take the awful medication. I went to the doctor (by the way, she told me she’d seen much worse and didn’t seem phased by what I thought was horrific) and got a prescription for a generic version of Lamisil, which is Terbinafine.

My liver is healthy, and I don’t drink much alcohol (and can easily abstain for the three months while I’m taking the pills), so my doctor didn’t think it was necessary to do a liver function test before starting treatment.

I am aware of the list of side effects of this drug: Flu symptoms, diarrhea and muscle and/or joint aches are some of the less disturbing ones. But there are also possibilities of losing ones sense of taste, liver failure and death. I’m reassured that the more severe reactions are extremely rare and usually found only in people with compromised livers to start with. I've also read about people becoming lethargic and losing the desire to do strenuous exercise. That's a major one for me, too. I'm hoping that doesn't happen.

So I started treatment three days ago.

Actually by the second day, I was seeing the rash (see #2 in my list above) disappear.

The first night after taking my first pill, I had severe night sweats. I woke up in a puddle that soaked my sheets and my pillow. I ended up sleeping on the floor near my bed because my sheets were too wet to lie on. I didn't’ feel feverish, or chilly, but I was sure sweating. To be fair, I also got a tetanus shot on that same doctor visit, so I don’t know if it was that or the Terbinafine that caused the night sweats.

The second night, I sweat again, but only very slightly. And last night, the third night, I don’t know that I sweat at all.

So far the only other thing I’m noticing is that I have a very strong urge to defecate, and I’m sitting on the toilet about five or six times a day, as compared to my usual once or twice a day.

And this morning, I did feel just a little bit nauseous. Nothing too terrible. So far, I haven't tried to exercise, so I can't speak about that aspect. But I'm planning to do a little workout today, so we'll see how that goes.

My plan is to follow the prescription, which is taking one pill a day for ninety days and then allowing the nails to grow out for another three months, without taking the drug. The treatment basically consists of six months, with three months on and three months off the med.

I hope I wont’ have any other side effects to report, but I do hope I’ll be posting a picture of some really great further progress.

This adventure is very hard for me. Those of you who know me, know that I’m very highly opposed to the use of medicine. This decision did not come lightly, but rather it seemed to me that the situation was insisting on drastic action. I really believe in trusting these signs and signals that are presented to us, and my Toenail Armageddon was a sign. I’m following it.

****************************UPDATE************************************

This is a picture of my toenails now, about a month later.

In all fairness, I want to say that they cleared up really quickly after starting the Lamisil. About a week into the treatment, they looked almost like they do now. And this is how my toenails have looked for years, before the aforementioned Armageddon.

Does Lamisil work? I still don't know. I have two more months of taking the pills and then, according to my doctor, another three months to wait before all of the dead stuff grows out and I can expect clear, fresh toenails.

More to come as it develops. Thanks for watching.

Kicking the Sweets Habit

2011-10-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Refined sugar and chemical sugar substitutes are like narcotics; they are harmful and addictive. Without getting into too much science, they cause a hormonal response that leaves the body feeling depleted in a way that can only be satisfied by having moresugar. Splenda is 600 times sweeter than sugar and not only causes the same hormonal response as sugar, but both create a heavily distorted sense of what level of sweetness is appropriate for our healthy bodies.

The taste of 'sweet' is very important to our palate. Without the taste of sweetness, it is hard to satisfy our appetite as humans. I recommend to my clients that they have a sweet taste in all of their meals and that they make a point to have that taste in the last bite they take of that meal. The important thing to remember is that the degree of sweetness that we need is much lower than many people use on a daily basis. Most people in our society are sweet abusers. The sweetness from a meal could come from a ripe orange bell pepper, many types of breads, milk, cream, certain cheeses, or, my favorite, fruits.

So my first, and most important recommendation is to spend a few days refining your palate by eliminating any added sweetener until you can distinguish the distinct sweet taste in a piece of wheat
bread. It is actually quite sweet when you're not used to off-the-chart sweetness. Then, go back to adding sweetener if you still want to. But now that your palate is more refined, you will notice that your sweet needs have changed and become more realistic and you'll find that you can be satisfied with more natural sources.

Honey is a nice, natural alternative to refined sugar and chemical sweeteners. It can be added to anything cold. You're not supposed to heat honey or it loses its natural, healing properties. Stevia
root is also a natural sweetener, but it has been accused of interfering with carbohydrate absorption, causing gene mutation in lab settings and lowering the sperm count in lab rodents. Pure maple syrup can be used as a sweetener as well. (Avoid things labeled as "pancake syrup" or "maple flavored syrup" they're refined and artificial.)

But the healthiest way to add sweet to food is by adding fresh fruit. Throw an apple into your oatmeal or your salad. Cook a pear into your tomato sauce; it cooks down and adds a distinct (natural and healthy) sweetness without being off the scale or causing addictive responses. Pineapple is a wonderful sweetener as well. Also most dried fruit can add a nice sugary sweetness. Just be careful to look for fruit without sulfur dioxide, which is a nasty preservative.

Have fun experimenting with your sweet tooth. It's a joy to retrain yourself to appreciate the natural things in life. Trust nature to bring you to a state of health.

Eating Less

2011-09-27T14:06:00.000-07:00

As a culture, we eat too much. WAY TOO MUCH!!!

I’m not pointing any fingers. Maybe you think you eat the perfect amount. Hey, I would have said the same thing about myself until about six months ago. I was recently inspired to begin experimenting with the concept of “LESS” throughout many aspects of my life.

I have improved my mindset and increased my strength and agility by breathing less. (I wrote about that in a different blog post.) I have also increased my sensitivity and my enjoyment of life by slowing down the rate at which I walk. (I was living in New York City, among some of the fastest walkers in the world, so it wasn’t easy. But it was totally worth it.) And I've increased my energy level and improved the look and feel of my body by reducing the amount that I ate.

I focused on eating smaller meals and on not just reacting immediately to the hunger feeling. But I found that living with the feeling of hunger for just a couple of hours made a HUGE difference in my energy and my physique.

Using hunger properly, I was able to improve the tone of my body, which was already lean and muscular, and found a new level of energy I didn’t even know existed!

Here are some tips to help you, if you’re interested in experimenting with eating less...
A word of caution first. Please don’t starve. It seems that whenever I tell someone something is good, they assume that more of it is better. The hunger is only meant to be with you for a few hours each day, not constantly. And the whole point is that when you do have a meal, all you do is make that feeling go away for about four to six hours. You don't want to get full. If you find that you’re full, you’ve eaten too much. But on the other hand, if you find that you’re hungry again in two hours, then you didn’t eat enough. Finding your groove may take some experimenting. Please feel free to let me know what sort of experiences you have with this. And to ask me any questions you have.

HOW TO MANAGE HUNGER FOR WEIGHT LOSS

1. Protein suppress appetite better than any other macronutrient. Meats, beans, nuts and seeds are good sources. A study from the University of Washington School of Medicine found that a meal containing 30% protein was best for satiety and weight loss. A study at Maastricht University in the Netherlands reported that having casein protein makes you feel fuller. Those are the proteins found in dairy products.

2. Eat breakfast. Skipping breakfast is a major contributor to late day bingeing. People who eat breakfast are far less likely to experience an eating disorder called “night eating syndrome.”

3. Don't cut all the fat out of your diet. Fat is a crucially important nutrient and if you don’t eat it, you will crave it. If you ignore those cravings and continue to avoid fat, you will become sick. Low-fat diets don't curb hunger as well as those focused on lean protein. Dietary fat provides psychological satiety and satisfaction, as it adds flavor and texture to a food or meal.

4. Eat fiber. Experts say to have 14 grams of fiber per 1000 calories of caloric intake. But I honestly don’t know how much that is. Do you? What a crazy thing to say, right? But you can get fiber by thinking veggies. I have two vegetables with every meal. I also have fruit (NOT NOT NOT fruit juice!!) twice a day. There is also a high amount of fiber in whole grains and legumes.

5. Water isn't necessarily a strong appetite suppressant, but it does fill up your stomach and satisfy a psychological need to consume something. I often use carbonated water because it makes me feel more full. Also, many times we think what we are experiencing is a hunger sensation, when actually we’re just thirsty. Often a glass of water will curb the ‘hunger’ for another few hours.

6. Some foods make you feel much fuller than others. Most people say that oatmeal gets them extremely full, while a boxed cereal like wheat flakes leaves them hungry. You need to experiment to find what works best for you. Keeping a food journal will help immensely. Eat a food or meal, and then take note of hunger and how you feel immediately afterwards and for the three hour period afterwards. This type of food/hunger journal will reveal a LOT to you.

7. Give yourself a break. Don’t stress over any of this, or you’ll be undoing any good benefits. Allow yourself a bite of cake at the office party or feel free to eat the fattening meal your grandmother made. This is life. Live it and love it. You’ll be much healthier if you don’t stress about these things, and in the end, when you’re unstressed, it will be much more likely that your body will be at its correct weight.

8. SLEEP! Oh my gosh this one gets abused and ignored so much, I should have made it number 1. Research from the University of Chicago and the University of Wisconsin has conclusively proven that sleep deprivation increases hunger hormones and leads to more inadvertent snacking during the day. DON'T IGNORE THIS ONE! It is a bigger culprit than you think.

9. Keep alcohol to a minimum. In addition to adding excess calories, alcohol distorts your body's perception of hunger, satiety and fullness. The correlation between drinking alcohol and body fat gain is stronger in men in almost all of the studies.

River's First Bath

2011-09-08T09:05:00.000-07:00

Today was the eighth day after River’s surgery. The clinic nurse told me that I shouldn’t let him get wet while the wound was healing, but that after eight days I could finally bathe him.

And he needed it. When the shelter takes in a stray dog, they have a five day waiting period before they are officially documented and checked in. During that waiting period, they get their basic shots, but no baths or surgeries or walks.

So River had the stink of whatever he had gotten himself into before being picked up, and then the kennel smell, and then eight more days of unbathed activity. He was a stinky pup.

So today was the day I was looking forward to. Bath day. I wasn’t sure how well he was going to behave or if he’d cooperate at all or if he was going to hate it.

I decided, first to go outside without him and play with the bucket and the hose and the cloths. I let him watch me from inside for a few minutes. Then I went back inside, just for a moment. I wanted him to get a sense for how happy I was and how much fun I was having. I told him, “this is fun!” and I went back outside to play some more, again leaving him inside to watch.

Then, I went inside and I invited him to come outdoors with me. I kept him on his leash, but let him wander around me, to the extent that his leash allowed, while I continued to gently splash the water, squeeze the cloths and squirt the hose.

When he was curious enough, he came by to investigate. I started rubbing his body with my hands like he enjoys. At that moment he became completely involved and offered up his body. So I added a wet soapy cloth to my hands as I continued to rub him all over.

I’m sure he noticed that he was wet, but he took it in stride. I made sure that the focus of the event was not getting him as clean as possible, but instead my focus was to give him a pleasant experience of being washed; even if it meant he wasn’t washed all that well.

But he was more than happy for me to scrub him all over with a soapy wet cloth. And he didn’t care when I re-submerged it into the bucket and reapplied it to him dripping wet. He even let me clean his ears and his paws.

I made a point not to move quickly or to rub roughly, but I kept it soothing and loving.

Once he was all washed, I switched to the big towel and started drying him. I used motions for drying similar to those that I use for the ‘wrestling without biting’ game, so he was very familiar with it, and he used the opportunity to practice playing without his teeth.

To my surprise, he sat comfortably and allowed me to wash and dry his paws and his haunches, which he typically tends to be more protective of.

I ended the bath by bringing him inside and brushing him with a rubber brush while I dried off any remaining damp areas.

He had a great experience, and I don’t think I’ll get any resistance to doing it again next week. His coat is so soft and bright now, and he smells a lot better.

What’s really funny is, after the bath, I took him to his crate so he could chill, and he sniffed the blanket that was in there. He tried to move it, or adjust it with his mouth, but eventually, he saw the futility and just plopped down on it. Something about his energy told me he was unhappy.

Then it hit me. Could he be telling me he didn’t want to lay his clean body on that same dirty old blanket? I took one that was freshly washed and put it in the crate next to him. He took one sniff of it, and then immediately used his paws to pull that blanket under him. He kept pulling until the blanket was under him enough that he could plop his head down and his nose was only near the clean blanket. Later that day, when he had finished his nap and left the crate, I took the old blanket out and flattened out the clean one.

It’s nice to know that River has some class.

Clean Doggie

Playing with River

2011-09-07T07:57:00.000-07:00

River has fully recovered from his respiratory infection and now is back to his good old self.

He's got a lot of energy. It’s obvious that he needs a lot of exercise. If he doesn’t expend all the energy that’s coursing through his body, he becomes frustrated and takes it out on those around him. Not in an unhappy or aggressive way, but he’ll jump and play and challenge you to a wrestling match. He doesn’t bark, but he does sometimes use his mouth and play-bite. He’s basically just a big, dopey guy. And while his jumping doesn’t necessarily hurt me, it’s not a good practice and it could easily hurt someone smaller than me.

Clearly this is not something you want a full grown, muscle-bound pit bull getting into the habit of, so the answer is to give him lots of exercise and to train him that using his mouth when playing with humans is not acceptable.

For the first week I had him, he was recovering from his neutering surgery and I was told he couldn’t do any exercise for a week, or he could tear his wound open. So that week, while he was healing, was a rough one. He didn’t know what to do with all of his pent-up energy.

To his credit, he actually did very well considering he knew nothing about the rules of this house and I knew nothing about him and how his life was before he was discovered tied to that stairwell downtown. And without the ability to expend his energy, he was definitely wound up. So we had to forgive him for being rambunctious and just keep telling ourselves, once he can exercise, we’ll have a much better-behaved dog.

During this week of healing, I was able to observe that he definitely wants to run and he loves it. Even during his recovery, I was unable to keep him from running. I mean, of course, I could have prevented him or given him no opportunities to run, but what I mean is I wasn’t into completely stifling all of his energy. I was struggling with my own desire to let him run versus the advice of the doctor to keep him mellow. Partially because I want him to have all the joys of living a happy, fulfilled life, and partly because I knew if I brought him back into the house without running some of his energy, he’d be a little terror all night.

But after a few days, I started to run him for about half a block at a time. I kept an eye on his wound and it seemed fine. Day by day I added a bit more running. I started a little game called “Go! Stop!” that goes like this:

We’d be walking along, and I’d give him the signal to stop walking, which he obeys beautifully. And then I’d have him wait for a bit so he was relaxed. And when he was calmly looking around, I’d say to him, “river...” which got his attention, and then “GO!” and as soon as I said go, I’d take off running down the sidewalk. He would follow. I would only go a few yards and then I’d powerfully shout “STOP!” and I’d immediately stop running and stand perfectly still. It took him two tries to get the idea. The first two times, I had to signal with the leash for him to stop, but after those two, he was stopping when I said “STOP.” And then he would look at me for instructions on what was next.

There was an upside and a downside to this game. A couple of upsides, actually: First, he was able to get some exercise, which is good. And the other good news is that he has learned the command, “STOP” which I can now apply to anything he’s doing. (I just command “STOP” and he freezes in his tracks.) But the downside of this game was that he began to misinterpret it. The running sessions slowly started to morph into him trying to catch me. He would start nipping at my hands and legs as we were running, and then after doing it a few times, he’d be so excited that even after we had stopped he’d jump around and nip at me. He was playing, but just playing too rough for my tastes.

It got worse and worse and finally escalated to the point where he was no longer just nipping, but biting and holding onto my hands and drawing blood from my fingers. At that point I tried to ignore him which sends the signal, “if you play this way, I’m not playing.” But, whereas, that usually will work when he’s less excited, he didn’t relent this time. He just kept going for my hands and the leash. In the end, I had to pull him down to the ground and hold him down until he fully relaxed. I reassured him the whole time that I wasn’t intending to hurt him and I was pointing out how he was in no danger or discomfort, but that I was simply controlling him. He relaxed very quickly and we walked home peacefully, albeit with one of us injured.

So I knew I’d have to come up with a new game.

My next idea was to take him to a grassy section of the park and throw a tennis ball for him to chase and see if he could be taught to retrieve. That game didn’t work out at all. I would throw the ball and he would run to the end of his leash and be stopped. Ooops. I know that as a pit bull, he’s not supposed to be off leash. Ok, so then I would throw the ball and run behind him so he could chase the ball, without being limited by the shortness of the lead, but he was totally distracted by my chasing him and lost interest in the ball. He thought we were reverting back to the old “Attack Jason” game. So I scrapped the ball.

I had once seen Cesar Millan using a toy that looked like a stuffed animal on a fishing pole, and I thought that might be just the thing. We went to River’s favorite pet supply store and I asked about them. As the clerk was showing them to me, I noticed that River had already chosen which of them he wanted. He was very interested in the one that looked like a brown weasel, or a ferret, or maybe a squirrel. But it was some long, thin rodent.

We took that to the park, but I quickly realized the same problem was that my leash was too short. I had to keep him so close to me, that I was still a integral part of the game in his mind.

Back to the pet store, where I got a 20 foot leash. Back to the park. When we got there, I switched his leash for the long one and got out my squirrel. I was careful to let him see the toy in my hands. I held it nearby and shook it a little. But when he tried to go for it, I said ‘no’ and showed him how the toy was mine, not his. He understood. He laid down and watched me. I set the toy on the grass in front of him and let him smell it. He stayed relaxed and acted disinterested, though I knew he was very interested. I set him up by saying his name and made sure he was looking at the squirrel when I simultaneously said “CATCH IT!” as I suddenly made the toy spring away.

He took off after that thing with such vigor! It was easy to keep it just a foot or so in front of him and quickly change directions and make it jump in the air. He was chasing it and having a ball! I was delighted to see him playing, using up his energy, and not directly any of it towards me. The new leash was long enough that he could run freely and yet I was secure in knowing that I had him restrained.

The toy is actually called a “CHASE IT” but I thought it sounded too much like “JASON” and I didn’t want to create a confusion that might cause him to start running after something whenever someone calls my name. So I decided that his cue to start playing with the toy is “CATCH IT”

When he did finally catch it, he attempted to kill it. And in fact, if it were a living creature, I’m quite certain it would be dead very quickly. He shook it roughly a few times and then held it between his paws while he chewed on it. I think we were both surprised when it started squeaking as if protesting every bite he took on it. It was really a sight.

Then I thought, “how am I going to end this game?” I certainly don’t want to get involved with what’s going on by reaching my scab-covered hands into the foray to remove the toy, but I know I have a responsibility to bring the game to an end before he gets tired of it and ends it himself. I knew also, that taking a toy from a dog’s mouth isn’t a good idea. It doesn’t teach good manners, and it sets up a challenge or a confrontation between what are supposed to be comrades.

My light bulb moment was when I realized, “this is when I teach him how to DROP”

I walked up to him with a treat in my hand and let him smell the treat. As he got the scent I started with my command, “DROP it” “DROP it” I only got in a few repetitions before he took the treat and as he took it, I casually picked up the toy. He watched me take it as he chewed his treat. When it was gone he tried to take the squirrel back from me, but when I told him “NO” he relented. I placed it on the ground in front of me where he could reach it, but I didn’t allow him to take it. When he relaxed I knew he understood that it was mine, so I waited about another minute and we did the whole game over again.

Using the CATCH IT method of play, he was able to run off a LOT of energy (he was exhausted by the time we were done and very well behaved the rest of the day) and I was able to extract myself from being the focus of the game. My fingers are healing up nicely and he is so happily tired after using his body so much.

To end the game, after his last successful DROP it, and after, of course, him actively ignoring the squirrel by my request, I let him watch me calmly put it back in the bag to end our play session. I switched his leash back to the short, walking leash, gave him a drink from his water bottle and we made our way back home.

I’m so happy that I was able to discover this game while I still had all my fingers.

I'm also thinking, now that I have that long leash, maybe i can try the ball again. I guess we have a plan for tomorrow.

bye for now

River's Medical Adventure

2011-09-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Last night after dinner, River took an unexpected turn. He was sleeping a lot, which I attributed to him being kept active all day. And then, at one point, he raised his head and looked at me. And I don’t know... I can’t explain how I knew, but he was trying to tell me he wasn’t doing well.

He seemed very lethargic and borderline delirious and he started to convulse. I would call them convulsions, but Zeke was saying no, that it was more like shivering and not full on convulsions or seizures.

But every few seconds, he would clench his whole body as if he were bracing against something. He did it most when he was laying down and relaxing. If I put his leash on, he got up and stood at attention like he always does for his leash, although now a bit less enthusiastic.

When I took him for a short walk, he perked right up. Not to his usually bouncy excited self, but to a state seemingly without discomfort and fully present in the world. So we went back in after doing some business and went back to chilling. He laid at my feet while I tried to get back to my episode of Columbo.

A bit later, as the ‘shivering’ seemed to be getting more and more intense, we thought, maybe this is a problem, and tried calling the vet. The recording referred us to an all night clinic. Upon calling them, I was told they couldn’t really evaluate the dog without seeing him, but that shivering and shaking could indicate a lot of different things, none of them good.

So, we deliberated for a while. How bad is this? we wondered. Are we being overprotective? Part of me wanted to say, ‘this will pass’ and another part wanted to jump in a cab and take him to the emergency room. I was flashing on stories of people who did nothing and ended up with an undiagnosed problem than ultimately proved fatal, and I flashed on the story of my mother who rushed me, her first born son, to an emergency room when the little plastic lid to my in-sink baby bath accidentally closed and banged me on the head, and they basically told her to go home and relax.

Finally, when he was having trouble going downstairs, we decided to take him in. We called a cab and started gathering all the items we’d need for the trip, including some towels and bags to wipe and pick up all of the mucus he was likely to cough up in the cab.

When we got outside to wait for our ride, again River perked right up and you’d never know anything was wrong with him, unless you knew that he was usually running all over the place, and now he was standing still and looking around. We were perplexed.

Then the driver pulls up, rolls down his window and says, “Oh you have a dog!?” Yes, I said. “Well I’m allergic, I can’t take him. I’ll call you another driver.” I believe very strongly that things happen for a reason. So I took this as a sign that we didn’t need to go. I told him, never mind, I’ll call up and cancel the request, which I did. I put him to sleep and he slept through the night, albeit with mild convulsions and vocal utterances of discomfort.

In the morning, he was basically the same.

I called our vet as soon as they were open and they were able to see us right away.

After an examination, she said that he basically has a bacterial infection, which is similar to a human cold. His reaction is so physical because that’s how his breed handles everything; with full body involvement. She said he was basically bracing against the annoying persistent urge to cough because his throat and probably his whole body is simply fatigued from the coughing.

She gave me some antibiotics and some probiotics to give him, and gave him a prescription for opiated cough syrup so he can get some good rest.

She told me that the cold will run its course for a few more days. In the meantime, he should be getting lots of sleep and water. She also told me to avoid using ‘soothing, calming’ tones which is interpreted as negative, and instead I should say positive encouraging things like “you’re so good! Yes, resting and recovering, that’s a good boy!” Makes sense to me.

She also congratulated us on not making the hasty decision to rush him to emergency for this kind of thing.

So now he’s resting. I’m actually taking this opportunity to help him get over his separation anxiety. By leaving him alone while he’s not in the mood to move, I can leave the house and come back, letting him get used to the idea that I always will come back, even if he doesn’t do anything while I’m gone. Maybe I’m living in a fantasy, but I have hopes that this will impact on him and help balance that little behavioral issue.

Its so hard to watch him suffer. Wow, I knew that dog ownership had its ups and downs. I’m no stranger to having dogs. But I expected most of the downs at this point to be all about his struggles with his training. I really wasn’t ready for this kind of medical situation for many more years.

Well, as I’ve said, I always believe things happen for a reason. And then, I knew it had to be this dog. And I’m not sure what the lesson is here, but I’m ready to learn it.

Of course, the thought that he’s not going to make it flashed through my mind more than once. I try not to linger on it, but I’m also prepared for that, should we find ourselves going down that road.

But my strongest, most prevailing thought is similar to what I was originally feeling last night, and which was supported by the lovely doctor at Broadway Veterinary Clinic; that he’s got a ‘little something’ that he’ll have to suffer through, but will come out the other end just like nothing ever happened.

Right now, I have him in his crate, which is covered with a blanket to give him a ‘den’ feeling. And I covered his body with the shirt I wore yesterday so he has my scent in there with him. I go in and check on him every ten or fifteen minutes and tell him what a Good Boy he is.

Here’s to speedy, full recovery.

Cheers! Salut! Sante! Prost!

River's Trip to Seattle Center

2011-08-30T23:28:00.000-07:00

Today's 'road trip' was very stimulating. He has just been neutered so he's not supposed to get much walking. But this guy has so much energy, I had to take him with me when I went to pick up my tickets to Bumbershoot at the TPS offices in Seattle Center. We really only went all of six blocks to where we were going to catch the bus. And it wasn't a quick walk. He's learning not to pull on the leash, so there were quite a few stops and waits and restarts while he was getting the feel for how he's supposed to walk with me. He actually seemed pretty beat by the time we got on the bus. I know I'm not supposed to exercise him for a few more days, but he would go nuts if I didn't walk him at least a little.

Then we took a bus ride and then a short walk to the park where he could do his Embryonic on the grass and watch the kids and the skateboarders. Then another walk to another bus (turns out River REALLY likes the bus, the only time he pulled on his leash today was when the bus pulled up and opened the doors. And at the end of our ride, I had to nudge him a few times so he'd follow me off). On our way back home from the bus stop we made one quick stop at his new favorite hangout, the Mud Bay pet supply store. He met a few dogs there and they gave him a treat. I bought him a rubber brush. During the rest of the four blocks home he was nearly always trotting along at my side and not pulling on the leash.

Enter River

2011-08-30T18:14:00.000-07:00

River was found tied to a stairwell down by the waterfront during the weekend of Hempfest here in Seattle. I didn't find him myself. Someone phoned animal control and they came and put him in the shelter. That's where I met him.

I didn't know this, but it is illegal to tether a dog and leave him unattended in Seattle. Even if you're just going into the store. It’s also illegal not to have him licensed and registered, so when they found him breaking two laws, they took him in. They kept him for six days before allowing anyone to adopt him, just in case his original owner came in to claim him.

He doesn't seem to be too familiar with life indoors, so I'm teaching him a lot, and he's a good, motivated learner, and basically eager to please but still alas, a teenager with the requisite short attention span, tons of energy and a slightly rebellious streak.

So I got him. I hung out with him for three days when he was in the shelter. Well, not the whole time, obviously. But I did go and visit him three separate times and hung out with him for about an hour each time.

Long story short. I took him home.

So now, this is my life. I'm totally immersed in trying to make this guy act the way I want him to.

He's very excitable, but I can't take him out to play yet because he just had his operation yesterday. So he's really confused about why I won't run and jump with him and he doesn't like it when I tell him he can't. Also, he smells like a kennel. He desperately needs a bath, but I'm not supposed to get him wet for eight days until his wound heals.

So, this first week is going to be very challenging.

I've already taught him how I want him to walk on the leash without pulling, and he's doing pretty good at that.

Last night he pooped in the kitchen, but I immediately took him outside to the grass afterwards. Then, a few hours later (when he wasn't looking) I dumped his poop out of the bag and into the grass out in front, and then I went back in and got him and took him out to let him ‘find’ it.

HAHA, he was so confused when he noticed his poop out there. I could see it in his face, "I don't remember pooping out here!"

But then he took the suggestion and squatted and gave me another good poop-- this one on the grass. This earned him a big, demonstrative “GOOD BOY” a quick body massage and a treat. He's gone twice out there since, and not in the kitchen. I decided to put his food bowl right near where he pooped in the kitchen, to hopefully tap into his “don’t poop where you eat” instinct.

He has a bit of a cough right now, which I guess is super common for dogs to get in the shelters. But it should run its course and, like a human virus, clear itself up in a few days. Nothing to be alarmed about unless it lingers for more than about four days.

There was one moment last night when I had to show River who was boss. He was getting really excited and jumping around and getting on our futon, even though I was telling him not to. And then he was trying to bite my hand when I was telling him to cool it. He wasn’t being aggressive; he was playing, but it was too rough for my taste. So I had to dominate him. I rolled him onto his side and held him there until he relaxed, Cesar Millan style. The whole time I was saying, "This is good. Just relax. I’m not going to hurt you. You’re a good boy."

I had to get kinda tough, physically, and he didn't give up easily. I have some scratches on my arm from the struggle. He protested a lot at first, and made a horrible sound that I hope we never have to hear again. But in the end, I'm sure once he realized that I wasn't going to hurt him or take any shit from him, he relaxed. Now he basically does what I tell him, when he can figure out what I mean. I felt like I had to do it at that moment, or I'd lose my 'master' status. And I have to have that from the get-go.

He's not really indoctrinated with 'human owns the house' yet. But he’s learning. Maybe he used to belong to a homeless person or was kept outdoors for the majority of his first year.

He's extremely energetic. I did not get one of those “lounging on the couch buddies” although, right now, post-walk, post-breakfast, he is actually curled up on the rug. Whew! He’s been there for about an hour so far.

He has that hound smell. I don’t know if its from him or just from being in the shelter around all those other dogs, but he smells like a beagle. And he sniffs A LOT so he might have some beagle in him. Thankfully, he doesn't do the beagle howl. Though he sure looks all pit to me.

So far he does NOT go in his crate. No way, no how. His water and his chew toys are in there, so he goes in to get them but then he brings them out or drinks with his back legs outside the crate. He'll reach in, but not put his back legs in and I don't want to push him in or lock him in until he’s inside and relaxed. So at this point, I haven’t been successful in getting him in his crate.

I wonder if he's had bad crate experiences in the past.

Seeing him curled up, like he is right now, is so nice.

I hope he's partly just excited because it’s all so new, and as it gets to be more routine, he settles down. But also, once I can run him, that will help with his energy level.

For now, I’ve just been focused on setting boundaries and rules. I feel like I’m all rules now, but I also scratch his ears and hug him and do love-y stuff all the time, too.

I made him lay in the living room while we ate dinner. I wouldn’t settle for him wandering around or, even worse, standing nearby and watching us eat.

He basically stayed where I told him, although he very slowly and gradually crawled and inched his way closer to us without losing contact with the rug he was supposed to stay on. And then, he relaxed in that splayed position.

So I felt like, as long as he stayed laying down and basically away from the table, that was good enough for me.

I'm sure it was a lot to ask of a dog, and he did fine.

Then he tried to get up when he was done waiting for us. We were done eating, but hadn't left the table yet, so I told Zeke to wait at the table because I wanted to put River back in his place and have him be relaxed there until Zeke and I could decide when dinner was over, not him.

It took a few tries to get the timing right, but finally, he relaxed in his spot and then I went back to the dinner table and waited a few seconds and then said, “OK. let's get up.”

My first view of River

So then Zeke and I got up and that signaled that dinner was over. And I let River follow our lead. He got up from his spot and then I started preparing his dinner.

Last night he slept on the floor right next to me. (We're still sleeping on a futon on the floor--having had no chance to put our bed together yet). I was so thrilled that he slept through the night, except for one moment, when Zeke got up at three in the morning to take a leak, it got River all excited and I could tell I wasn't going to get him back to sleep unless I took him for a walk. So I took him up to the corner and back, gave him a treat and when we got back, he curled back up on the floor and slept calmly through the rest of the night.

All in all--a pretty good first night.

New York City to Seattle

2011-08-28T09:05:00.000-07:00

New York City, July 2011.

Our last pictures as New Yorkers. Don't we look happy? It was over 90 degrees and humid the day we had to shlep all of our luggage through the city. We were both drenched with sweat.

(Notice the appropriate graffiti on the poster behind Zeke.)

*********************************************************

Seattle, August 2011.

Here’s the new house.

The lower right set of windows is the guest room, which has its own, separate entrance and a dedicated bathroom. The lower left set of windows is my office/studio.

The second level is the master suite, the bedroom on the left and the bathroom on the right.

The third level is the living room on the left and the kitchen on the right. The bay window is the dining area.

Behind a security gate, there is a formal outdoor entrance area with stone benches and planters and a back entrance, which I end up using a lot more since it’s so convenient.

There’s also a two-car garage going to waste at the moment. But I hope to get a bicycle soon, so I can park that in one of the spaces and maybe I’ll rent out the other side to my neighbor for his motorcycle.

Master Bathroom

Living/Dining room

Yoga with Glenn Black - Day #6

2011-05-15T05:05:00.000-07:00

Today was day six. And I worked, struggled and sweat for three more hours on my yoga mat, swung some kettlebells, tried to lay my left lower leg on top of my right lower leg and tried to be calm and relaxed and endure the discomfort as my hips screamed at me, “WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO US!?!?!”

Emotionally, mentally, I don’t know what, exactly, but I seem to have hit a wall. Not physically. I’m doing fine physically. But I started to get the feeling that I don’t care about yoga anymore. I don’t see the point anymore. I started to wonder what my life would be like if I never got my hips any more flexible than they are right now. And it didn’t seem so bad. I’m not in any pain. I’ve never noticed any problems with my hips how they are. It’s never interrupted my quality of life. What happened to, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it?”

Glenn has talked about the Buddhist concept of beginner’s mind. And I think I went there. I suddenly became a yoga novice again. So, I can relate to those people who know nothing about yoga and who look at me with a blank stare when I tell them about how long I practiced my Warrior 3 or a Revolved Side Angle Pose, or how hard I’m working to be able to do my Peacock or my Half Moon Pose.

One of the hardest questions I get asked by people who aren’t ‘into’ yoga is when they say, “why would you want to do that?” I honestly don’t know. I just do. I want to do it.

Or do I?

Yeah, I probably still do. I think maybe just being immersed in such an intense study of it with such a deeply grounded master for three hours each morning for a whole week is a bit much for me. I think maybe “Balance” is rearing its ugly head and saying, “hey, take a break from it for a while. Even if it’s just for a day.”

But even though today as I struggled physically and matched it with an emotional / mental struggle, in the end, after my Corpse Pose relaxation, I still felt the bliss. I felt such a relief. Not only a relief to be done with the practice for today, but the sense of accomplishment and achievement accompanied by the supreme relaxation that the work provides for my body every time. I smiled at the trees as I walked away from the pavilion, and on my way to lunch I literally said “Hi” to a hedgehog who looked up from munching on the grass as I strolled by.

Oh yeah... This is why I like yoga. This is why I struggle, because without struggle, are we really alive?

And if I’m not improving, I’m either stagnating or growing worse. And given the choice between those three, I would definitely choose to grow. Even if it does require a bit of a struggle. What if the caterpillar decided it was too much trouble to put the effort into getting out of that safe, comfortable cocoon? If she decided that there was nothing wrong with being in there? Sure, nothing’s wrong inside that cocoon, but if she didn’t struggle, we would never see a butterfly.

Yoga with Glenn Black - Day #5

2011-05-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Last night I had a mad craving for chocolate, so I had a vegan chocolate brownie from the Cafe. And whatever that brownie lacked in animal products, it certainly made up for in chocolately chocolateness. It was a chocolate explosion. And since I ate it right before bed, I didn’t really sleep that well.

So today, I paid the price. I was a bit tired and I could really feel the difference in my ability to be strong and present in class today. I’m always telling my clients about the importance of sleep in a healthy life, and today I was living proof. Some of the things we did today were things I don’t typically struggle with, but I was struggling today. And some of the things that I typically struggle with, I was struggling with MORE today. I also found it hard to stay focused and aware during my Corpse pose relaxation.

We did a lot of kettlebell stuff first thing today. We did many of the standard swings and then a few things that I’ve never heard of before. One new-to-me skill I did today was laying on my back, putting a six pound kettlebell on my forehead and lifting only my face up toward the ceiling. Obviously, the lifting will help to strengthen the muscles of the neck, but what was really interesting, was when we brought our heads back down to the ground, I could feel it lengthening my neck, as if it were creating a traction and allowing more space between the cervical vertebrae. It was actually quite refreshing. We didn’t do a lot of them, but just a few of them did the trick.

And then the other new and impressive thing was laying on our backs with the kettlebell in one hand and the arm extended up toward the sky. Then, without bending the elbow or lowering the kettlebell, we stood up! And then we laid back down, and stood up etc. When he told us what we were going to do, I didn’t believe it. And then when I was able to do it, I still didn’t believe it. But I did it. Believe it.

Today we did more yoga than we’ve ever done. We probably spent a good 40 minutes of our three hour session doing the Warrior 1, 2 and 3, Revolved Triangle, Side Angle and Revolved Side Angle Poses, in addition to our regular repertoire of Bound Angle, Pigeon and Seated Wide Leg Straddle Poses.

We didn’t have an afternoon session today, so some of us met in the studio and just had our own yoga jam. It was nice to practice and really practice. This is the way yoga should be practiced, I think. We would observe each other and let each other know about misalignments we saw. And we could assist and inspire each other. We played for about two hours. By then most of the others were gone, but I stayed and laid in Corpse Pose for half an hour.

I felt wonderful afterwards.

It was supposed to rain today, and it looked ominously gray most of the day. In fact, it did sprinkle a bit at one point, but it never rained. And I’m so glad it didn’t. Not that I don’t like rain. I do. I love it. But I only have a small amount of clothes and I can’t afford to have my socks wet. I also think it would be a big mess if it rained here. Lots of mud.

Many of the participants of other workshops are leaving today. More typically, the workshops here are either five days (Mon - Fri) or a weekend. So it’s kind of interesting. This isn’t a big place so you see the same faces over and over again. But today it was a whole new selection of faces.

Tomorrow is the last full day here, and then Sunday we’ll have a half day. I’ve already gotten what I came for, so anything else after this is a bonus.

Yoga with Glenn Black - Day #4

2011-05-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Today marks the half way point. Hump day. And despite the large presence of both, so far I have only been bitten by one mosquito and no ticks have found there way into my flesh. At one point, I was sharing my yoga mat with a beetle, and on the way home from dinner tonight, I stopped to watch a squirrel eat blossoms and discard the leaves and twigs onto the path below.

Yesterday I was wondering if I was going to be able to make it through the week. I wasn’t sure my body or my mind was going to be strong enough to endure the torture. I entertained thoughts of escape. But he broke me down, and now I guess I’m prepared for my enlightenment and ascension, so I’ll see all you suckers later!

Hahaha, just kidding. I didn’t even really come here for enlightenment, I came to see what Glenn was doing because I know he’s beyond yoga and that’s the direction I want to head.

Glenn confessed to us today that his goal is to break us down. He’s literally doing that, physically and mentally. I can feel it. I’ve surrendered to the sensations of discomfort and have really reduced my struggles to get out of uncomfortable poses. I have stopped looking at the clock (it was too discouraging, anyway, to realize I was dying ten minutes into a three hour session). Now I can find the relaxation and endure.

Today we did more human movement stuff a few yoga poses and some work with the kettlebells. But since so many of the students were in pain, he decided we needed to do a lot of Body Tuning today. So, I got my neck and shoulders worked on. Then, after class I had my second session with Matt Gorman, a Body Tuning student of Glenn’s, who does great work. He is a true Body Tuner. Very attuned and efficient. Both Glenn and Shmuel would be proud.

Today a bird flew directly into the glass door of the pavilion and probably ended up dying from it, The last I saw, it was sitting on the ground next to the door with its beak wide open as if it were in great discomfort. Even when people walked right near to go in and out of the door, it didn’t move. After class, it wasn’t there anymore. It was a pretty bird, too; small, and kind of a greenish yellow.

Last night there was a concert at Omega and tonight there is a talent show. I don’t attend these things, which I’m sure are great fun. But I came here for a yoga immersion, and for the opportunity to spend a lot of time with myself in quiet contemplation, so when we’re not in session, I’m meditating, walking around slowly, sometimes reading and sometimes writing a little bit. I have used the sauna a couple of times, and once I just sat in the cafe drinking water and sitting alone quietly soaking in the energy of the people around.

I find myself really conserving my words this week. I’m actually trying to speak as little as possible. In a place like this, no one thinks twice about someone doing something as crazy as not speaking.

A big lesson for today is that yoga has no boundaries. It is not as clean and simple as many people (including myself) had thought. Asana practice is certainly not yoga. It is part of yoga, a very small part, actually, but it is not yoga. Yoga is a connecting of yourself with the source of everything. Asana was originally intended only to prepare the physical body and make it possible to find that connection.

And another big lesson is that doing asana will not likely correct imbalances or repair damage. In fact, it is more likely to cause imbalance and damage than it is to help. And if there are any imbalances pre-existing, doing asana practice is more likely to exacerbate them than improve them. I’ve been discovering this first hand through my experience of my injured shoulder. If I were just to do standard yoga asanas, I would continue to emphasize using my strong, uninjured left side and it would get stronger and stronger, while I continued to favor my weaker right side. Not because it’s still injured but because it is already weaker and my body’s instinct is to protect it. Only by fashioning my own, very specific exercises do I find that I can regain my body’s symmetry.

Hanuman
Hindu Monkey God

Here at Omega, I see lots of evidence of what I call the faux-spirituality of yoga. There are statues of Buddha everywhere, there’s even a really big one right outside the Ram Dass library. (But if you go into the library there’s a statue of Hanuman, a Hindu god.) So, what do Buddha and Hanuman have to do with each other, you may ask? Good question. I don't know. And if they’re honoring religions, why aren’t there any statues of Montezuma or crucifixes or stars of David? Last night I walked past the Main Hall and heard all the Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Training students chanting Hare Krishna! I wondered how many of those passionately chanting people were actually Hare Krishna followers. Also, I’ve been noticing lots of people wearing mala beads as jewelry. Mala beads are intended to be a spiritual tool for meditation, not adornment of the ego. When I was taught about mala beads, I was told they are sacred and private, and that no one should see them. I keep mine hidden in a pouch and only take them out when I’m using them.

My Mala Beads - Don't Look!!

But really, modern yoga is no more of a mind-body endeavor than say, golf, for example. Sure you can be focused on the mind-body connection while doing yoga, but it isn’t inherent. One could be just as mind-body conscious while golfing, doing needlepoint or driving your kids to school. Just rolling out your mat and doing some pre-designated poses, (or even worse, following along as a teacher tells you what to do) isn’t a mind-body practice unless you make it one. And a large number of people who practice yoga every day have very little mind-body connection.

Ganesh
Hindu Elephant God

Still there is something that’s very attractive about it. Even I was tempted to buy a t-shirt today with a picture of Ganesh on it. I liked it because I have an elephant thing (we all have our things, right?) and because it was sort of yoga-esque. But I haven't decided whether or not to get it because its basically an icon from a religion I don’t practice, nor really know anything about. So I think it might be a pretentious gesture to wear it. But who knows. I still might get it anyway.

To paraphrase what Glenn said today as we stood for two minutes with one foot on the floor and one foot on the wall, higher than our hips, with our leg externally rotated and both arms held overhead (can you say painful?), You may be wondering just about now, ‘Why did I ever start this crazy practice called yoga!? What have I gotten myself into?’ But the thing is, once someone starts along the path of yoga, they don’t tend to leave it. Even if they get away from it for a period of time, when they start up again, they’re starting right where they left off. Perhaps not on a physical level, but on the level and depth of understanding and devotion they had achieved before walking away.

He’s not only shaking us down but he’s also shaking us up. Making especially the more experienced and devoted yogis really think about what they thought YOGA was.

I’m fortunate in that my exposure to yoga about 15 years ago was brief, so that most of my experience (until two years ago) was through my own exploration. I was never part of the ‘scene.’ When I met Jill Miller and took her Yoga Tune Up® Teacher training, I was finally truly exposed to the world of yoga and yet I was simultaneously introduced to the need for looking and reaching beyond the limitations of classical yoga.

I realize now that I was struggling with angst when I got here. I knew that I had some, but didn’t realize how much I had until now that I can feel its absence. I had been struggling with issues of perfectionism and self-doubt. Through the experience of this week, I am now able to see the reality and have come to the conclusion that I’m OK just how I am. I’m happy. And there’s no need to struggle to improve because I will continue to grow and improve in my natural time, just as I have done my whole life.

Whew! Big sigh of relief.

Yoga with Glenn Black - Day #3

2011-05-11T17:52:00.000-07:00

Today we're only scheduled for a half day. I don’t know what I'm going to do with myself for the second half of the day, but there’s no shortage of stuff to do here. There’s a library, a bookstore and a cafe. There’s basketball courts and tennis courts. There’s a meditation labyrinth and a peaceful place called Sanctuary that’s also appropriate for mediation. There are lots of walking trails through the woods, and there are kayaks that we can use on the lake.

I realize I have mostly written about the the Yoga Immersion. But just the experience of being here at Omega is worthy of mentioning. I made a little video of my walk to the breakfast hall this morning and then I had a very light breakfast anticipating a lot of tough work in today’s class.

As you can see in the video, it’s like a nature reserve, or a very expensive campsite. It is so nice (especially being from Manhattan) to walk slowly along a stream and listen to the birds and the babbling creek and see the wind move the leaves on the trees. It really is healing to sit on the grass and watch the mother goose and her goslings feeding on the grass near the lake. It’s so nice to be away from the noise of the city. The only loud noise I’ve heard in three days is when it’s dinnertime, they blow a conch shell. And if you happen to be anywhere nearby, that’s a pretty loud noise. But it is a loud noise with a different quality than a siren, or honking horns.

In our session this morning we focused on Warrior 2 and Side Angle Poses for a while. Geez, they can be excruciating poses if you hold them long enough. And we held it long enough!

Then we got out the kettlebells and did some swings and some crunches. Those kettlebells are such a good workout. I feel like they're working the whole body. They're incredibly simple and they get me to the red zone REALLY FAST. Then, we did some work on back strength without the kettlebells because doing this type of work would have been too strenuous with them. We balanced on our bellies and flew like superman. I was really feeling it in my butt by this time.

Then we spent a heck of a long time stretching our hamstrings in a Triangle Pose and a Revolved Triangle Pose, but laying on the floor instead of standing. When we were done, my hips were so changed, I felt like I didn’t know how to walk.

As always, we ended with a 30 minute yoga nidra (relaxation). This was the first day I was able to remain completely alert. So far, every time I got really relaxed, I started to drift away occasionally, but today I was focused on my relaxation the whole time. And as I was walking away from the pavilion to go to lunch, I was in a different space than usual. Typically after my deep relaxation, I’m relaxed and somber, but today, I was blissed out and happy. I like it much better.

Glenn is really getting deep into my hips and back. In today’s class I have to admit I was dogging a bit. I’d let my pose go whenever he was facing away or adjusting someone else.

I hope I can handle the rest of the week. We still have three and half more days.

Yoga with Glenn Black - Day #2

2011-05-10T17:50:00.000-07:00

I woke up very refreshed this morning. And I wasn’t sore like I thought I would be, although my legs and hips did feel very ‘hard.’ It was like I was flexing my muscles but I wasn’t.

Glenn, ever the contrarian, started class this morning with the Corpse pose.

After doing a few basic poses including Awkward Chair and what I think is his favorite, Bound Angle Pose, Glenn put a toy monkey in the middle of the room and turned it on. This toy started to laugh and roll around like a little child on the floor. We all laughed and Glenn then said he wanted us to do it. It took some people more encouragement than others, but this was something I was a natural at. I rolled and laughed and it brought to mind the work I do with Nia Five Stages. In fact, a lot of this work is bringing Nia to mind.

The problem with yoga is that it is static. And in many cases movement is much more effective and getting deeper into the joints and tissue and at releasing stuck areas. He has us gyrating and dancing like we were in a Nia class. I notice that the more experienced and serious yogis are having a hard time moving this way. They tend to look around as if to make sure no one is watching, and they’ll wear an expression of embarrassed concern. I also notice some of them only partially participating.

But Glenn has such a confidence and such a history of knowing his work so well, that even the most hesitantly staunch yogi eventually gives into natural human movement.

Revolved Triangle

We did a Revolved Triangle Pose. But first we did it lying on our backs so that we could relax into it. He almost wasn’t going to even have us stand on our feet, but he relented and when we stood up and were holding the pose, he came over to me and adjusted my back and then he touched my thigh and said, “give me some muscle. Don’t let this go slack.” I hadn’t realized but I had found a way to do the Revolved Triangle Pose without using my quadriceps muscles in the forward leg. I was so conditioned to doing it this way that it took me a long time to figure out how to contract it in the contortion of the pose. And once I did figure out how to contract it, I did so, and I fell over.

So I have some work to do on my Revolved Triangle.

As we worked more and more and deeper and deeper into Pigeon and Lunge and Squat, I struggled with this tightness I’ve had in my hips for as long as I can remember. The more we stretch, though, the more gets released. Our benchmark is whether or not I can lay my legs flat on the floor in Bound Angle Pose, which I still can’t do. But I was getting such good, deep stretches in my hips that I could feel that familiar shaking and emotion wave that feels like my body protesting the depth of the stretch. Intellectually, I know the position is sound, and it doesn’t feel harmful or dangerous. But emotionally, that’s a different story. Emotionally it feels very dangerous and it feels like we’re getting really close to something.

Glenn Black surprised and delighted me when he started talking about Pavel. Pavel is someone who I have learned a lot from, and I had always sort of thought of him as my little secret. Until today, I never met anyone who had ever heard of Pavel. It is from Pavel that I got the phrase, Naked Warrior, which I use to describe myself and my tendency to not need any weapons or armor (or as you might call them, exercise equipment and workout clothes).

But Glenn spoke of Pavel and his contribution to the fitness world, kettlebells. And then the next thing you know, we’re all swinging kettlebells! The last thing I was expecting in an advance yoga immersion, but here we are, all swinging kettlebells like Russian soldiers. I do lots of squats and lunges and have been dancing for over twenty years, but the basic kettlebell swing had my butt burning after just a few minutes.

Glenn impressed me at one point when he said, "Those of you who are breathing through your mouths are pathetic!" He has a dark sense of humor. But it went right along with my latest new discovery about the power of nose breathing.

I might have to start exploring this in more depth. Who knows, it may be the next avenue I wander down in my life.

After our morning session, I had a scheduled Body Tuning session with a practitioner named Matt. It was so nice to have my body tuned. He did some techniques on me that I’m going to have to remember for using on my clients. I appreciate so much when a body worker doesn’t have a routine. I can tell the difference between someone following a sequence and someone who’s working on the reality of my body. This is truly something that sets Body Tuning apart from other modalities.

After my session, was lunch. A remarkable thing happened at lunch as I was crunching on my cole slaw. I tasted something oddly familiar. At first I couldn’t place it, but then I realized it was onion! I thought, “No, that’s impossible, because I’m not gagging.” I’ve had a violent reaction to eating raw onions my whole life. But then I took a bit with two very large pieces of what I thought were red cabbage, but no. That unmistakeable flavor of onion permeated my mouth, but to my surprise, the gagging didn’t. I was able to eat them, and even swallow them. But once I realized what I was doing, I chose not to. Old habits die hard, I guess.

I’ve noticed that ever since I started concentration on being aware of always breathing through my nose, one of the many transformations I made was that I became less intolerant of garlic and onions. This is huge for me. And really strange because in many aspects of life, I’ve become MORE sensitive. I am able to smell energy, for example. And I notice myself being much more calm and compassionate and actually needing less food and drinking less coffee.

But anyway, I had an hour after lunch before our afternoon session began, so I went back up to my room and chilled out. As I was chilling I noticed an awful taste forming in my mouth. Ah yes. Now I remember one of the reasons I didn’t like eating onions.

The afternoon session began with Body Tuning. I was glad since I was still kind of full from lunch and still kind of beat up from the morning’s session.

We did a lot more work on opening up those hips and started in this afternoon on the shoulders. We did a few exercises to prepare our shoulders for Upward Facing Bow Pose, which is really hard for my shoulder ever since the injury. And, to be honest, if I had known how to do the pose correctly, like I do now, it would probably have been something I wouldn’t do because my shoulders aren’t ready to support it. Not because they’re weak, but because they’re so strong in a certain position, that they won’t rotate in they way they need to to assume this position correctly and safely.

After the session I walked to the lake and meditated for about 45 minutes until dinner.

The food here is really good. All vegetarian, but still enough variety and flavor to satisfy meat-eaters, too. This evening I got my protein from mole tempeh and olive humus. Tonight they had dessert, which they don’t usually have. I don’t know what the occasion was, but I grabbed two. They were some sort of vegan, natural-ingredient peanut butter cups that were pretty good, and then some imitation chocolate caramel that sort of missed the mark.

Going to bed early tonight. All of this hip opening is really wearing me out.

Yoga with Glenn Black - Day #1

2011-05-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

We spent the morning basically mobilizing our hip and shoulder joints.

In the three hours we were together, we only really did about four yoga poses. The rest of the time was spent in preparation for the poses, or doing movements and holding positions that indicate our body’s readiness for certain poses.

For example, at one point we were standing and he told us to hold our arms out to the side at shoulder length and hold. As we held this “crucifix” position, he described what was required of our bodies and what movements or adjustments we want to avoid. Then, just when that was about to be become too excruciating to hold any longer, he told us to attempt to bring our hands together behind our backs, without letting the hands drop below the level of the shoulders.

Well, I couldn’t do it, but I reached back and got my hands as close together as I could without letting them drop below my shoulders. And BOY did I discover a weak link in my body. That was tough. I kept wanting to put my arms down, but I buckled down, found the strength and continued to hold them up.

Then he said to bend the elbows and relax at the elbow but keep the upper arm parallel to the floor at shoulder level. I just simply couldn’t do this one, so I modified by letting my elbows drop and resting my hands on my lower back. This way I could really focus on movement of my shoulder blades and was conscious of pulling them together and down.

Glenn then said, “If you can’t hold your arms in this position, with your upper arms parallel to the floor and at the same level as your shoulders, then this means your body is not ready for (Shoulder Stand) or (Plough) poses!”

He uses the sanskrit names when talking about the poses, but I always use the English translation, so I put my translations in parenthesis because I was quoting him.

What I really love about his work is its application to real life. It feels very relevant and immediate, whereas yoga has always felt sort of fantastic and mystical.

I have been practicing yoga on my own for many years. I’m not fanatical by any means, but I do consistently practice. The problem with this is that I don’t tend to explore those weird places that I find when I’m following the guidance of a competent teacher.

This morning, when we were working on our Pigeon pose, he gave me a correction. He pointed out to me that I was rolling away from the extended leg, which is a way that I had been escaping the true gist of this pose because of the tightness of my hips. With his adjustment, I could really feel the pose working on my hips.

Between Pigeon, Bound Angle, Same Angle, and Half Moon poses we really got into opening and stretching the hip joint. But still, the bulk of the time was spent on basic human movements like standing, squatting, moving the legs, sitting, etc.

Right before lunch we did about a half hour of the Corpse pose while he talked us through a very relaxing Yoga Nidra.

And after a deep, half hour meditation, he pulled us back into reality by revisiting the Pigeon and doing a Same Angle pose with our legs up a wall. In a typical yoga class, this is unheard of: class always ends with meditation.

But Glenn said that after leading such a deep meditation, he wanted to bring us back to reality so that he wouldn’t have to go looking for us in the woods after lunch because we were so spaced out.

For lunch, I didn’t have much of an appetite, so I just had a big fresh salad with roasted red pepper humus for dressing.

The Bridge: a yoga prop for supported back bends

Back in the studio, we started right away with back strengtheners that required us to lay on our stomachs on a wooden bridge. I was glad I hadn’t had a big lunch.

The second half of the day was much like the first. He just has us doing lots and lots of movements with the goal in mind. The goal, as far as it concerns me, is to loosen and open my hips. We did a lot of work in Half Lotus and Bound Angle poses, which really point out how tight my hips are because my knees are hovering way off the floor rather than me being able to rest my thighs flat and get my knees down.

Bound Angle Pose

Glenn says that he expects us all to have our knees down to the ground by Sunday. If I can accomplish this, I’ll be impressed with myself and with him.

The bigger picture, though, is more about life. About my life. And I’ve decided I am very happy and aware, but not very relaxed.

So my mantra for today was: “I’m happy. I’m relaxed. I’m aware.”

The feeling that I’m getting from this immersion is not surprising. But I do feel like Glenn’s teaching is releasing me from the restriction of yoga and asana and inspiring me to think, explore, WORK, and be aware and relaxed.

I’m still waiting for the inspiration about what I am going to do with the rest of my life. But I’m also wondering if I have found the answer. If I”m truly relaxed, truly happy and truly aware, then what difference does it make what I ‘do’. Life is more about ‘being’ than ‘doing’ anyway.

I ended the day with a nice, hot sit in the dry sauna. I was so relaxed and sleepy from all the work of the day that I was ready for bed by 10:00. It's sort of strange because I'm not unaccustomed to a lot of physical work. But I think the combination of Glenn's specific work and all of the yoga nidra relaxation we did, really left me zonked. But in a good way. It feels like I'm going to have pleasant yoga dreams tonight.

More tomorrow...

Going to Omega

2011-05-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

As I sit in Penn Station, waiting for the Amtrak to Rhinecliff, I’m prepared to shift gears into a week with Glenn Black at Omega Institute. It’s always a good idea to leave New York for a length of time to focus on peace, introspection and regaining serenity. Glenn’s personal study of yoga has included much personal exploration in solitude, in addition to studying at length with some great masters. I respect his realistic perspective on yoga and movement and use of our bodies in general. Glenn is also one of Shmuel Tatz’ top proteges and one of the few people who can truly call themselves a Body Tuner. And my teacher, Jill Miller, who created and certified me to teach Yoga Tune Up® was a long-time student of Glenn Black.

So, this weekend is described as a Yoga Immersion with a focus on precision in asana and also work with Kriya and Nidra, which I’m looking forward to. And I believe we’ll also be doing some Body Tuning. I don’t have any expectations or goals for the week. But I am aware that I’m seeking something in my life. I want some sort of change or to establish a new routine or revise old ways into something new. I’m going to be uprooting and moving from New York to Seattle, so a shift to the other side of the country seems to inspire a paradigm shift as well.

I’m not sure how, or why, but I have a sense that this week is going to be a catalyst for this change that I’m seeking. I don’t expect this week to change me, but I hope to settle into more congruency and balance and re-establish a strong habit of meditation. Also, I’m looking forward to Glenn’s direction. I know that he comes from a strong, staunch background of classic yoga, but he’s been advocating moving away from asana and respecting yoga in its entirety, including meditation, inward focus, removing reliance on outward sensations, community service and compassion.

Since my train was delayed, there was no shuttle waiting at the station to take me to Omega, so I had to call a cab. Despite paying $15 for the shuttle, I had to shell out another $27 for the cab ride. But I arrived in time for dinner, so I ate a nice big vegetarian meal, (which I’ll be getting a lot of here). After dinner, I browsed in the book store for over an hour, and then before heading up to my room, I stopped at the cafe and got a ginger cookie and a big bottle of seltzer water.

I went to bed early. Partly because there was really nothing to do so nothing was preventing me from going to bed, and partly because I really wanted to be well rested.

I’ve heard horror stories about how tough Glenn Black is. In fact, when I was checking in, the guy asked me what I was here for. When I told him “The Glenn Black Advanced Yoga Immersion” he looked shocked. Then he looked me up and down and said, “Well, you look like you can handle it.”

I guess that remains to be seen. I imagine the week hold a lot of challenge for me, but I’m prepared to face them. I’m also prepared for my biggest challenges not to be physical, so I’m prepared to do work on my emotional, mental and spiritual bodies, too.

Close Your Mouth for Health

2011-04-27T10:05:00.000-07:00

People who are concerned with their health and longevity would do well for themselves to examine and be aware of how often their mouths are open.

It is more healthy to breathe through our nose.

The nose is a filter that prepares air for the body’s consumption. The nasal hairs and the mucus therein serve as a trap for many of the impurities in the air before it reaches our lung tissues. When this mucus accumulates enough soot, it will harden and flake off, creating boogers. If you’d ever examined how disgusting a booger is, you’d be grateful for them; they’ve prevented all of that filth from entering your lungs. Taking a breath through your mouth delivers completely unfiltered air directly into your lungs, leaving all of that impure and toxic soot for your sensitive lung tissue to deal with.

The nasal passage also serves to warm the air. The inside of our body is just under 99 degrees Fahrenheit. Even a slight deviation from that precise temperature can cause big problems. Notice how dramatic it is when you have a fever or if the temperature inside your body drops just three degrees below the norm; it can be life-threatening at 95 degrees. It is shocking and stressful for the body to be supplied with air that is too cool. Inhaling through the mouth does nothing to adjust the temperature before introducing it to the lungs, whereas the nasal passage is designed to do just that.

(Habitually drinking ice water is the subject of another blog post for another day.)

The nervous system is also effected by the way we breathe. Breathing through our mouths will trigger our sympathetic nervous system, which is intended to kick in when we are in danger and need to run or fight. It is a stress response. But nose breathing stimulates our parasympathetic nervous system which is supposed to be our default setting; relaxed. It’s no secret that our society is over-stimulated and research has been showing for years that our health relies largely on our ability to reduce and manage stress levels. Nose breathing is a great way to do this.

If you're like me, you'll immediately wonder, "why is it so commonly believed that deep breaths are relaxing?" But I don't know the answer to this. I will say, though, that many commonly held beliefs are not scientifically sound nor true. Just because it is commonly believed doesn't mean it is correct.

I did this experiment on myself: for one minute I breathed shallowly and noticed the state of my nervous system. I noticed that I became very relaxed within a few seconds. And then I took a deep breath; as deep as I could. And I could feel my body tense up, my heart rate increase and I could even perceive a slight increase in my body temperature. Through this experiment I was convinced that I triggered my stress response by taking a deep breath. I invite you to do this same experiment. I'd be interested in hearing what you find.

Chemically, even though it may seem counter-intuitive, we need a generous supply of carbon dioxide in our bodies in order to properly utilize oxygen. Look up the Bohr Effect if you want a more technical, scientific explanation. But for now, I’ll keep it simple. Carbon dioxide molecules bind with oxygen molecules in our bloodstream and deliver that oxygen to our organs and tissues when needed. Without a proper supply of carbon dioxide, not enough oxygen will be delivered to our tissues; it will remain, unused, in the bloodstream. This could be a cause of many modern diseases.

The research and life’s work of Dr Konstantin Buteyko, a scientist and medical doctor from Russia, has shown that about 150 modern diseases can be directly linked to improper oxygenation, due to lack of carbon dioxide. Most specifically addressed are those breathing diseases like asthma and common allergies, but many other diseases have been shown to be caused by the environment created in the body when we have chronically low levels of carbon dioxide. This low level of carbon dioxide is caused by breathing too much and too fast (known as “hyperventilating” or over-breathing). The carbon dioxide is not given enough time to accumulate so the body is starved of oxygen.

Our bodies are very intelligent. It will know when we aren’t getting or aren’t retaining enough carbon dioxide, and it will respond by doing anything in its power to reduce the gas exchange and allow the carbon dioxide to accumulate. This is often achieved by narrowing the sinus passages or bronchial passages. The answer to this situation is not to open those passages and breathe full and deep, but rather to follow the lead of the body and breathe less! Only when we can relax and breathe less, will those airways respond by immediately relaxing and returning to normal.

Snoring is an unhealthy habit that indicates a very serious problem; nighttime mouth breathing. Breathing through your mouth through the night will interfere with a restful sleep and hinder your body’s ability to perform many of the rejuvenating and healing processes that sleep is supposed to provide. If you wake up from a full nights sleep and don’t feel rested, it may be simply because you were breathing through your mouth all night, which keeps your body in a agitated, excited state and prevents the proper amount of oxygen from reaching your tissues.

People sometimes go to great lengths (surgery!) to help prevent snoring because of how many problems it is associated with. But a simple piece of tape placed over the lips during the night, combined with some diligent awareness of nose breathing during the day, can often cure this problem in a matter of weeks by forcing the body to return to its natural state of nose breathing.

Breathing through the nose is a great way to make sure we’re not hyperventilating or dumping pollution into our lungs.

I want to mention a specific exception to this general rule; which is yawning. Although it may seem like I’m about to say not to yawn, I don’t say that at all. Quite the opposite in fact. If you feel the urge to yawn, let ‘er rip! This is an important function of your body attempting to equalize the molecular balance in your body. And contrary to how it may appear, not a lot of air is being exchanged. So rather than stifle a yawn, which is unhealthy, stretch your mouth open and let it happen.

To take this all a step further...

You can use your ability to breathe through your nose and your ability to tolerate high carbon dioxide levels as a gauge of your health. Many people will find it difficult to close their mouths for more than a few seconds. These people are very unhealthy. The people with the highest tolerance to carbon dioxide are the ones enjoying the highest levels of health and the lowest incidence of disease.

By learning to control and minimize your breathing, you can create an environment in your body where your tissues are receiving plenty of oxygen, you are breathing mostly filtered and properly warmed air in the correct amounts and you are relaxing your nervous system as well.

Once you incorporate this simple habit into your life, you may start to notice your thinking becoming more clear and focused, you may become more sensitive and aware of your surroundings and may even notice an increase in your confidence and intuition. You may notice that meditation comes a lot easier and that you actually WANT to make more healthy food choices over junk food choices. In short, this one step you take towards better health can create a healthy snowball effect throughout the rest of your life.

Think of nose breaths as organic produce or filtered water. When given a choice, for health and longevity, we’d choose organic and filtered, right? So whenever possible choose nose breathing over mouth breathing. Don’t let this make you tense or struggle to breathe, but make this adjustment to your life gradually and comfortably give your body time to adjust. Depending on your current levels of health you may find it difficult to breathe through your nose exclusively right away. Don’t worry. Keep practicing and soon you will find that is not only much easier, but it will quickly become habitual because your body will thrive on it.

Part of the adjustment will be mental. We are conditioned to think that we need four or five times more breath than we actually need. So in the beginning many people attempting to reduce their breathing might experience a mild panic. This is certainly something to be honored, but ultimately it becomes a matter of trusting that you are getting enough breath and once you realize you’re not passing out or dying, those panicky feelings will disappear.

Something that I noticed right away upon adapting this concept into my life was that I needed to really pull back on the intensity of my exercise. I was exercising so hard that it was impossible to breathe through my nose. And so my exercise wasn’t contributing to my long term health as much as it could be if I were to do it with less intensity.

One of my first adventures with nose breathing during exercise was a valuable lesson in moderation. I attempted to do my regular (quite intense) exercise but kept my mouth closed. I was breathing hard, but it was all through my nose so I felt like I was doing well. But the next day I found that it was very difficult for me to breathe and my nasal passages felt blocked. When I irrigated my nasal passage with salt water, I was shocked to see gobs of dried blood coming out into the sink. I had obviously damaged the lining of my nose by hyperventilating through it.

I have since learned that the answer is to use my ability to nose breathe as a gauge for how much intensity I should use when exercising. Once I was able to overcome my ego and slow down, I had a wonderful experience of power without effort.

We can use our ability to nose breathe as a gauge for the healthiness of other activities. In a nutshell, when we’re following healthy habits, we can breathe easily, and when we stray from healthy habits, our nose breathing become more and more difficult or impossible. For example, I am aware that I can breathe through my nose just fine before dinner. But then for dinner I have a greasy hamburger, french fries and a shake. After dinner, I go back to the awareness of my breathing and I will notice that it is suddenly quite difficult to breathe through my nose.

This works with emotional states, exercise levels, hydration levels, sleep levels and just about every aspect of healthy living. If you can remain aware of your nose breathing, it will guide you towards the highest degree of health and a long, disease-free life.

So, close your mouth and let it slow you down. Let it increase your sensitivity. Give yourself the benefit of carbon dioxide by building up your tolerance to it.

This subject is sure to bring up a lot of questions, so please feel free to comment on this blog or email me with any questions or concerns.

Re-balancing the Upper Body

2011-04-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

It’s been a while since I updated what’s been going on with my workouts. I’m still dealing with the repercussions of that one fateful day of ego.

(Well... I guess I should clarify that. No, I’m not completely ego-free on the other days)

But this one day, in January 2009, it was particularly strong. Apparently it was much stronger than my body, so to make a long story short, I wrecked my shoulder.

If you’d like to catch up or read an interesting story of an injury, ...

Here is a post I made just a few months after the incident

Here is a post made ten months afterward, showing a big loss of size and symmetry.

This is the story of how I bounced back, rather than accept defeat

So now It has been two years and two months since that day. And, as I have said, I’m still paying the price. I don’t have pain anymore, which is great. And my range of motion is excellent. In fact, I actually have more flexibility on the right side now than I did before I injured it. This is partially due to the different way I’ve been training and eating in the past couple of years. But also it’s largely because of the loss of muscle tissue in the area. The strength is also coming back gradually.

So, I’m pretty much recovered as most people would describe it. But there is still a big part of my recovery that I haven’t addressed, yet. And that is regaining the incredible amount of muscle I lost as a result of the injury.

Atrophy is the wasting away of muscle tissue. It happens to us all, all the time. This is why we have to stay active and/or exercise on a regular basis. If we don’t then our bodies will slowly decompose. But while my shoulder was acutely injured, the atrophy was rapid and dramatic. It was so quick and specific that, not only did I lose a significantly noticeable amount of muscle size and strength in my right arm, shoulder and chest, but it created a golf ball sized indentation in the center of my right pec.

Immediately after the injury I was completely absorbed by the pain, but once the pain had subsided, this lopsidedness became my biggest concern. I was embarrassed by it; I felt like a freak. I had always been obsessed with proportion and symmetry in my body.

So now, since I am getting stronger, I’m able to focus more attention to the task of re-strengthening and redeveloping my right side to catch up to the left side. If I do push ups, for example, then it’s very difficult to emphasize the weaker side, and what happens is the strong side just does all the work and continues to get stronger. My main concern now is how to re balance my right and left sides (chest, shoulder and upper arm).

So I have to devise ways to force myself to push more with the right arm and target the muscles of my right upper body. I’m also trying to get the strength back to do my one-arm push-ups like I could do before the injury. I can still do them on the left side, of course, but I don’t want to until I can do one on the right side again.

I’ve put together a video of a few of the exercises I’ve been doing to help re balance.

So I was going along with these types of exercises for a while and then I began to notice another thing happening as a result of working with an unbalanced load like that. I have to brace my torso askew. In other words, in order to position myself, all the muscles of my core have to brace along a diagonal to emphasize or support the weight on only the right side. So I have to be careful that I don’t start to train another imbalance into my body in the torso. And I’ve been noticing how this is effecting the development of my abs. I have to be careful not to let that get out of hand.

These are the kinds of things I watch for in my clients as I train them, and it’s the reason I make videos of myself working out. I can observe myself from the outside and learn about my habits and coach myself to develop and improve.

Tennis redux

2011-04-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

A couple months ago, I wrote about how I was interested in starting to play tennis. Someone saw that post and responded to it. So now today we’re playing tennis for the second time.

I was raised on tennis. It was one of a few sports that my parents made sure I got a healthy diet of. Some of the others being soccer, softball and bowling. I played from my formative years all the way until my late teens, when I left the house, and the attached affiliation with the tennis club, to pursue my young, independent life.

One of the things that I didn’t appreciate about the sport was its strong emphasis on one side of the body. The right side, in my case. Serve, forehand, backhand, forehand, repeat. All on one side. Once I became aware of this, I was concerned about overdevelopment of one side over the other. This is one of the main reasons I turned my back on all of the racquet sports in favor of others like wrestling and swimming, and why later in life I turned more towards dancing, martial arts, yoga and calisthenics for exercise with more full-body involvement.

Now, many years later, I return to tennis for the very same reason I left it in the first place. (Is that irony?) I need to rebuild my right side so that it can catch up to the left. I need to regain the strength and stability it had two years ago; before the injury.

Well now I’m back at it, and it’s a blast! So, it’s not exactly like riding a bicycle, but it does seem to be coming back pretty quickly. When I was in my prime, at the age of 13-17, I played in tournaments all season and played a few times per week in the off season. So I don’t know how much of that is coming back to me, but I certainly do feel comfortable on the court.

This is the first time I’ve played on clay, which is interesting. I like the feel, compared to the unforgiving asphalt I’m used to. But it’s kind of a mess.

The country club is a bit expensive. I’d love to know of a cheaper option because I’m interested in playing more, but at these rates, I’m afraid it’s going to be more of a luxury than a lifestyle.

Spring Load your Knees this Spring

2011-03-30T06:18:00.000-07:00

Nia is an artful combination of three martial arts, three dance arts and three healing arts.

Each of these contributing practices offers an important facet to the work of the Nia Technique.

T’ai Chi is one of the martial arts. We call it the ‘Slow Dance’ and it offers quite a bit to what we know as Nia. If you’ve been practicing Nia for a while, you may be surprised to learn what aspects of it come from T’ai Chi.

In this playshop we’re going to explore the elements that T’ai Chi brings to Nia. We’ll be mostly focused on the way that the concepts and practices of T’ai Chi helps to strengthen and support the knees and keep them safe from harm while we dance. Once we embody the concepts of this playshop, our knees will be free to dance without fear. T’ai Chi teaches us how to “Spring Load” our knees which unleashes all of the ease and power of the legs.

We’ll also take the opportunity to learn and practice some very specific self-massage techniques that will help to release tension and reduce pain in the knees.

Say good bye to knee pain, say good bye to feeling weakness in the legs, and learn how to SPRING LOAD YOUR KNEES this Spring.

No experience is required in either T’ai Chi or in Nia to benefit from and enjoy this playshop.

Come play and dance with us as we unlock and release the pleasure of spring loaded knees.

Friday, April 15

6:00pm - 8:00pm

Gina Gibney Dance Studio

890 Broadway (@19th St)

5th floor

Admission is $35 and includes a FREE Yoga Tune Up® Therapy Ball that you can use for ongoing care of your knees. (and for the rest of your body, too.)

April Fools Day Nia Dance Party

2011-03-18T19:17:00.000-07:00

FreeDance: The Celebration of Fools

We have two different Playshops planned for April.

On Friday night, April first, we’re celebrating April Fools Day with a Nia Dance Party. A Fool is a playful and silly person. So when you’re dancing to celebrate Fools, you really can’t do anything wrong. The same is true when it comes to Free Dance. So what a perfect opportunity to celebrate the most foolish day of the year by dancing freely!

Come and boogie a little, (or a lot!) We’ll explore more and less and big and small and fast and slow and so many different free dancing techniques that your dancing will expand exponentially.

It will be inspired by Nia music and guided (loosely) by Jason, but it will be *your* exploration and totally free and totally foolish and totally fun. No expectations; just shenanigans.

Friday April 1, 6pm - 8pm

Gina Gibney Studios
890 Broadway, 5th Floor (@19th St.)

$30

or attend both Playshops in April for $50.
with a Play-Pass.
(Spring-Load Your Knees Playshop is April 15.)

Jason Alan Griffin is NOT leaving!

2011-03-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a rumor going around that I’m leaving the Big Apple. Turning my back on New York City and returning to the green hills of Seattle. Well let me reassure that this is simply not the case.

I’m currently selling my apartment. This is a long and drawn out process involving putting it on the market and waiting for offers to come in. When offers do come in, we may negotiate back and forth a bit and then finally come to an agreement on price and terms, so then we’ll go into ‘escrow.’

Escrow is overseen by a disinterested third party. It’s a process where all the paperwork is put in order and all the I’s are dotted and T’s are crossed before the exchange of keys and money takes place. It could take up to two months.

So this is all way off in the future.

I mean, it was going to happen eventually. I never intended to settle down in New York. I was happy in Seattle. I really felt like I had found home when I lived there in the 90’s. But the oughts were going to be my New York experience decade. Did you think I was going to stay here forever?

To be honest, my original intention was to come to New York and spend seven years getting established as an actor so that I could move to L.A. with more clout; being a New York actor. I was going to give myself another seven years to “make it” in L.A. and then, if nothing happened after that time, I’d return to Seattle. After a few years, I realized I liked New York, and preferred acting on the stage to acting on film, so I ditched the L.A. idea and stayed in New York.

Eventually, I came to realize that I did not enjoy show business. I enjoyed performing. I loved being on stage and I liked being on set, shooting films, TV, commercials or even taking still photographs. If that’s all there was to the business, I’d love it. But it’s a lot of sales. A lot of hustling. A lot of self-promoting. A lot of ego. A lot of competition. And a lot of rejection. I didn’t enjoy it. I hated it.

So I now call myself an artist. I perform for the art of it. I don’t need unions or agents or even to be paid. I want to do it for fun, not commerce.

I also have a fitness business that I’m passionate about. I enjoy doing it and it makes me enough money and gives me the satisfaction of helping lots of people. I can do this business anywhere I want; I don’t have to be in New York.

So, I decided to make the quality of life switch.

In the meantime, please don’t write me off. I’m still in New York. I’m still taking on new clients and teaching classes and workshops. I’m just not making any long term commitments.

Before I pack up and head out, we will all have plenty of advance notice. I promise to make a big ordeal out of it when the apartment sells and we’re in the process of ‘escrow’

So, take advantage of me while I’m here. Don’t mourn me until I’m actually gone. Don’t worry, you won’t miss the going away party.

...

Firedance: The Nia “Riverdance” routine.

2011-03-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

This is the first appearance of a concept called Athletic Nia. This is meant to be an offshoot of traditional Nia for those who were athletically inclined or were familiar and confident enough with traditional Nia and wanted something more athletic.

I consider this an advanced routine for many reasons.

One is that the way it was presented shows very few Level 1 options. Many of the movements are plyometric in nature (jumping) and would need some modifying for someone who was less conditioned. That alone is a good reason to avoid the routine until having had some movement experience and are comfortable making your own adaptations without a lot of guidance.

The routine requires a great attention to detail, especially because of the repetition of a very quick movement involving stepping on the back foot on the ball of the foot and on the whole forward foot. This quick shuffling-like motion has a lot of pitfalls that a beginning student/teacher may fall into. I have to consistently caution students not to slide or drag their feet and not to pound their feet hard into the floor. It is also very important to use proper alignment in the ankles and feet, which is not something that comes easily to a beginner.

Another thing that contributes to my calling it an advanced routine is that the music is undeniably uplifting and inspirational. It fuels very grand and emotional movements at times and very quick, staccato footwork at other times. It is mostly quite energetic and celebratory so participants tend to match the energy and get lost in the celebration, which causes the less advanced students to lose focus on themselves at the very time when the focus is most crucial.

So it requires an approach that can override the raucous music and remain internally calm and centered. A beginner, or a less experienced dancer can easily become overwhelmed by the excitement and physical challenge that is offered by this wonderful routine, and hurt themselves.

I tend to save the routine for special occasions and workshops, or split the body of work up into small chunks and insert a few songs into a playlist I’m creating for class. And whenever I do have a piece of this work in a routine, I will make a point to discuss these points with my students (especially any new students) before the class begins.

St. Patrick's Day Sunscreen and Yoga Flow

2011-03-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Saint Patrick’s Day 2011 was a gorgeous spring like day in New York City.

I love to do my exercises outside when the weather permits, and today was a good day for that. I worked out yesterday, so today I just wanted to flow. I needed to iron out my body after the abuse I gave it yesterday. I was just making up my flow as I went along. I was more focused on enjoying the sun today than anything else.

I am aware that we’re advised to get at least twenty to thirty minutes of unprotected sun rays on our skin each day to maximize the health of our blood and immune system. But if we’re exposed to the suns rays for longer than that, we should protect ourselves with a good sunscreen.

Read My Skin Cancer Story to see how well aware I am of this fact

A good sunscreen is harder to find. Read here about my Search for a “Good” Sunscreen

But I did find a good one, so I’m going to wear it today. I only put it on my face and head and neck because I went out earlier today and was dressed, so those parts of my body already got sun. The rest of my body needs its unprotected rays. I put my sunscreen on thirty minutes before doing my flow because it takes that long to be fully absorbed and start working.

So, that’s how I celebrate the holiday. I hope you had a great St. Patrick’s Day as well!

Meet Shmuel Tatz Event

2011-03-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Dancers! Athletes! Musicians!

Anyone using their body on a daily basis can benefit from regular body tuning.

BODY TUNING is the technique used by such dance legends as Fernando Bujones, Alexandra Danilova, Vladimir Vasiliev, Natalia Makarova, Anna Sokolow and Tommy Tune; stars of today like Joaquín De Luz, Savion Glover and Diana Vishneva; and prominent instructors like David Harford, Finis Jhung and Irina

Kolpakova.

After Alexander Technique and Feldenkrais’ work, comes Body Tuning. After

the physical therapist stretches you, your chiropractor adjusts you and Pilates strengthens your core, now is the time to experience the synergy of all of this.

Body Tuning puts everything together and makes sure your body is running smoothly; or “in tune.”

I have put together an opportunity for you to meet the amazing Dr. Shmuel Tatz, who has created Body Tuning and has been practicing for 40 years.

In this workshop, you will receive 5-10 minutes of hands-on Body Tuning and learn methods for self-tuning that are specific to your body's needs. Enjoy longevity in your professional career without interruption by keeping your body tuned regularly.

Watch video of Dr Tatz at work

Another Video

Workout and Meditation

2011-03-09T17:58:00.000-08:00

This is an example of how I use meditation after a workout.

Today's workout was about strength and alignment. I gave myself very little rest and moved through some of the most basic human movement exercises. My overall goal was to increase my heart rate in quick bursts of effort with timed rests. I started with a warm up and ended with a cool down, as always. The workout itself lasted about 27 minutes.

Some days I like to meditate after a workout. Especially if the workout has gotten me particularly excited or tense. Today was one of those days. I was really struggling at the end of my workout, but I put all of my energy into continuing to go through the exercises with strict form. Afterwards, as I was doing my finishing stretches, I noticed that I was a bit more “amped up” than I like to be, so I sat for a few minutes and meditated.

Maybe I should have recorded some voice over on this video describing what I was doing for my meditation, but instead I had music playing. Had I known I was going to post this video on YouTube, I wouldn’t have used the music for copyright reasons.

But anyway, I was basically focused on my breathing in the beginning. I was intentionally exhaling and letting the inhales happen reflexively by relaxing. Once my heart calmed down I shifted my focus to my spine and rotated my awareness up the back of my spine and down the front.

I didn’t notice this while I was meditating, but afterwards, when I watched the video I saw that at times it seems like my whole body is vibrating. It’s actually pretty scary looking.

Notice that the meditation is only about three minutes. It wasn’t a deep meditation. This wasn’t one of those meditations used for enlightenment or for reaching Nirvana. It was really just about relaxing my nervous system before going on with the rest of my day.

Used as a relaxation technique, if you’re skilled at relaxing you don’t need to do it for very long. As the saying goes, “Your Mileage May Vary.” So if you sit for meditation, I always recommend sitting a bit longer than you think you can.

How To Become a Body Tuner

2011-03-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

I recently got an email that I wanted to share with you. It read:

I'm thinking about expanding my field beyond yoga and YTU and going into the physical therapy world, and I was wondering if you had a moment to let me know your experience working with Shmuel. Do you think it's worthwhile/necessary to have any massage background as well? I would love to hear your thoughts and what your plans are with this training -

My experience working with Shmuel has been incredible. Read here about how I first met him.

I started my apprenticeship in September of 2010. I would just go into the office and stand in the corner and watch him work. It was fascinating. Everything from the first interview he’d do with a new patient, to the way his work was always different and always seemed to be right on the money.

I had been a massage therapist in a previous life. I was licensed and practiced in Seattle for about eight years. I gave up massage because I was frustrated by the way people would come to me week after week and expect me to fix their bodies, when it was obvious that they were doing no self-care. I felt like I was fighting a losing battle and was getting no support. Since I also worked as a personal trainer, I could really compare the difference between working with people who were doing something and people who were just laying there. So, when I moved to New York, I never bothered to have my license transferred to New York State.

But once I started watching Shmuel Tatz and learning Body Tuning, I started practicing Body Tuning on anyone who would let me. At first I could feel myself tempted to massage them. It really pointed out to me the big difference between massage and Body Tuning. (There is also a big difference between physical therapy and Body Tuning.) As a Body Tuner, I seem to have made a fundamental shift from paying attention to muscles as a massage therapist, to paying attention to bones and joints.

It didn’t take long to me to start approaching the work like a Body Tuner. Here is a blog post I published about a week after starting to observe him. And now, five months later, I’m getting results like I can hardly believe. It is so simple that it doesn’t seem like a technique. But it is. Body Tuning is a blend of many bodywork modalities. And yet it is loyal to none. It is a grab bag of techniques and the application of only what is perfectly appropriate to the body on the table at the moment. It is largely intuitive and broad in knowledge. It’s mainly about listening and responding.

The question about whether it is useful or necessary to have a background in massage is a good one. I’d say, YES, it is very useful to have that background. But I’d also say it’s probably not necessary.

What is necessary is an unquenchable thirst for learning more and more modalities and techniques for reducing pain and returning the body to its natural state. A Body Tuner should be a master of kinesiology and anatomy and should be highly skilled at movement education. We must know what we can expect the body to do. For example. we must know how much movement should be happening in the big toe, and in which directions, so that if we see a big toe that isn’t moving properly, we can make it a priority to return it to free movement.

The basic theory of Body Tuning is that movement is health. In most cases, pain is a result of (or at least accompanies) some deviation from the natural flow of joint movement. A Body Tuner must listen to the body with his/her hands. Knowing what feels right and what feels wrong will guide a Body Tuner to help the body return to what is right.

I originally wanted to study with Shmuel Tatz because of his approach to health and wellness. I came from an exercise science background and most of my work was involved around fitness. There is a difference between health and fitness, and I knew that studying with Dr Tatz would strengthen my knowledge of and ability to teach and master the world of physical health.

His knowledge has been very grounding and enlightening to me. He makes me define and evaluate everything I thought I knew. For example, whenever I show him an exercise that I’m doing or that I’m having my client do, the hardest question he asks me is “Why would you want to do that?”

I had been involved in the fitness industry for so long that I have stopped asking that question. I realized that I had been assuming that everyone wanted to be in top shape and was willing to do whatever it takes to get there.

When I decided to study his work, I didn’t intend to become a Body Tuner. I really just wanted to hang out with him and absorb his fascinating perspective on body care. My thinking was that being around him and his work would be such a great facet to mine. And I figured I'd learn something unexpected from this man, and I was right. His down-to-earth approach to health, wellness and body care has become a filter through which I view all of my work. Asking “What would Shmuel think?” is a powerful litmus test for any of the exercises I bring to my classes or my clients. Shmuel Tatz will always be with me now.

I was working with him for half a year before I finally put together what he was really looking for in an apprentice. I’m not his ideal protege because I'm going to be moving out of the state. He’s looking for a colleague. Someone who is well-versed in his approach and who he can trust enough to say, “I’m going to leave early today, can you take care of my afternoon patients?”

He has been giving me patients of my very own. Mostly people who don't have insurance and can't afford his rates. And I’m working on them in the office. In stead of paying Dr Tatz for the training, its more like I have a part-time job in which I’m learning great skills and earning money.

Now that I know what he’s after, I want to help him. I’m going to be moving away to Seattle and can’t continue to train with him. But I would love to find someone who’s interested in learning from him and becoming his colleague.

It is really a great opportunity for anyone interested in working on bodies to learn a technique that blows away any other approach I’ve seen. And in my nearly 20 years in the fitness industry, including eight years as a massage therapist, I’ve seen, and experienced many different types of body work.

Please consider working with Dr Tatz and learning Body Tuning. He wants his legacy to continue, and it would be a true loss to the world of health and fitness and dance and music and art if his work ended when he retired. He’s in his 60’s now, so that day might not be too far off.

Contact me if you want to get started in a new adventure. I hope to hear from you.

Read my other blog posts about some of my observations during my apprenticeship.

How The King's Speech is like Body Tuning

How I Approach Body Work Differently As A Body Tuner

What Is Body Tuning?

An Early Body Tuning Lesson

Patenting Life

2011-03-07T19:59:00.000-08:00

A company once put a patent on a gene responsible for creating breast cancer. This prevented any scientist who didn’t hold the rights to that patent from legally owning it. Therefore they were forced to end research on that particular gene. This is one of the many dangers of allowing U.S. Patents on living things.

Until 1978, It was never legal to get a patent on a living thing in this country. A scientist had discovered a genetic mutation that caused a certain microbe to eat oil. It was fought all the way to the Supreme Court, until finally the first patent was granted on this microbe and that opened the floodgates.

People used to farm a lot more, but now, most people don’t know what it takes to grow food. And, in fact, what it takes to grow food has been changing in recent times.

Around World War Two, we started to experiment with using the same biological technology we were using to create weapons to create new pesticides. A whole new approach to agriculture was born.

A company called Monsanto was a particularly aggressive seeker of patents on seeds. Not only did this company create a weed-killer called RoundUp that pretty much killed anything green. But this same company genetically engineers seeds that were resistant to this poison. They systematically started buying up seed companies until they had a virtual monopoly on the seed industry.

Then they starting going after farmers for not buying their seeds. Farmers used to be able to save and trade seeds amongst each other, but now they live in fear of being sued for having the RoundUp ready crops in their field.

The frustrating thing is that the court is saying that it doesn’t matter how the Monsanto seed got in the crops. It could be a bird, the wind, or intentional theft, but if Monsanto’s genetically altered seeds made their way into your crop, Monsanto then owned your crop.

They began to aggressively pursue farmers for breach of patent.

It wasn’t until 2001 that the general public first learned about genetically modified foods, when a certain crop of corn was making lots of people very sick. The media got a hold of the story and soon the whole world knew about the dangers of gene splicing.

Farmers are also starting to notice that these RoundUp ready soybeans are acting funny. In years of drought, for example, they reduce their root depth by 25%. This is a big impact on a full crop of soy.

To this date, the United States is one of very few developed countries that don’t require genetically altered foods to be labeled. The wheat, the corn, the soy that you eat could be genetically modified, and no one has to tell you. Maybe you’re not allergic to wheat, but you’re having an adverse reaction to the genetic modification. Without labeling, we can’t know if you’re eating real wheat or not.

Dan Quayle was instrumental in getting regulations put in place that said that the US was officially NOT regulating genetically modified foods. Despite the strong protestations of the FDA, who was saying that these products needed to be tested, especially because all the evidence was pointing to very real dangers presented by this type of engineered foods.

The genetically modified foods industry is entirely self-regulated and is growing in size.

There is a potential problem in the future of our food. And that is the fact that if any genetically modified seed gets mixed in with the crops, the entire crop starts to adapt the genetic modification and crowds out natural biodiversity.

The future health of our food is endangered unless we change the direction of these currently unfolding events.

The rest of the world is starting to boycott our imported materials. Indonesia protested and burned some Monsanto cotton. Japan is watching us. Knowing that this is untested waters, they say they are watching the development of American children over the next ten to twenty years to watch for signs of damage being done by genetically modified foods.

Don’t panic. At this time, the vast majority of your food is not genetically engineered. However, one distinct exception is wheat. There is a lot of experimental GM corn crops in farming communities. So cross-pollination, intentional or not, is eventually inevitable.

There is plenty of evidence that these foods are unsafe. In one study, 40% of the caterpillars that ate from genetically modified plants died mysteriously. A doctor in Scotland was dismissed two days after announcing his new research showing a strong connection to mice dying after being fed genetically modified potatoes. All of this research was being not only squelched, but buried in a litany of industry funded research skewed towards the results they wanted to see, and public service announcements by universities paid by the biotech industry, touting the health and importance of biotech.

Genetic Modification was sold to us, the consumer, as a way to end world hunger. “We could grow so much more food,” was what they were telling us. But that logic is specious. There is already enough food to feed the world. We throw away enough food to feed the world. The problem is not quantity of food, but the problem is distribution.

The United States government is a co-owner of a number of patents on a particular type of gene called a ‘suicide’ or a ‘terminator’ gene. This causes a plant’s seed to become sterile after one usage, and forces the farmers to buy seeds year after year. A dirty trick, for sure. But now, let’s think about this. What is going to happen once these types of seeds start to cross-pollinate with crops all over the world? It’s going to be devastating.

I hate to paint a bleak future, but I see a vast blank canvas of empty green where nutritious vegetables used to be. And I see our population getting sicker and sicker without realizing what the cause is.

The revolution needs to happen. I don't know how much the data has changed since this graphic was created in 2005, but according to this chart, it looks like the public is coming around. I'd still like to see a lot more blue in the bar graph than the red.

One thing to do is to be vocal about exercising your right to safe and healthy foods. Not only should you refuse to buy genetically modified foods, but you should make it known that that’s the reason you’re not buying it. What you choose to eat is one of the biggest contributors to your health. Fight for your right to continue to choose.

When you do choose, choose organically grown foods whenever possible.

Another very important thing we need is a return to fresh, locally grown produce and foods raised naturally. I am encouraged to learn that the numbers of farmers markets in the United States has risen almost 80% in the past fifteen years. I hope it is a sign that people are aware of how important it is to eat naturally grown food.

Staying Healthy - the Diabetic Way

2011-03-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

Adversity is often the spark for innovation.

For example, when I injured my shoulder in 2009, it was my struggle to regain comfort, range of motion and strength that led me to meet Shmuel Tatz and started me on a whole new path of study into Body Tuning.

You can read some of my blog posts about my adventures with Body Tuning here:

What is Body Tuning?

The Knees, She is Yours

The King's Speech is like Body Tuning

There are many more if you want to browse through the blog. I've been studying and writing about it since September 2010.

Another example of adversity sparking innovation is the way that that same shoulder injury was also the catalyst for my exploration into new forms of exercise and body healing. Without that injury, I wouldn’t have been inspired to create my Energy Flow class and my Human Movement and Postural Restructuring classes.

But, the main reason for my writing this particular blog post is another example of finding the lesson through adversity. The fact is that we can learn so much from diabetics. A diabetic is someone who has either lost or was born without the ability to produce proper amounts of insulin, which is a hormone responsible for regulating the level of sugar in our blood. Without a very specific blood/sugar level, we can die.

So diabetics who are concerned with being healthy and alive must make a concerted effort to regulate their blood/sugar levels through diet and other lifestyle choices. When your life is at stake it becomes much more easy to stay motivated to watch what and when you eat.

The upside to all of this is that those of us who are NOT diabetic can also reap the rewards of keeping our blood/sugar regulated. It turns out that following the diabetic lifestyle is a good healthy, habit. It is one of the best diets you can follow if you want to keep healthy and keep your body at its natural weight. It also will help stabilize and regulate your energy level so that you’ll have the most energy throughout the day.

I have been advising for years that my clients who are interested in having a normal body weight and having plenty of energy throughout the day, get a book written for diabetics and make it a priority to keep tabs on controlling their blood/sugar levels by following the diabetic lifestyle; especially the part about the diet.

I was recently alerted to a website created by one of my students. It is designed as a resource for people living with type 2 diabetes, but I wanted to share it with you because, as I have always said, the recommendations for a healthy diabetes lifestyle is exactly like the recommendations for my JAG Healthy Lifestyle. I have looked the site over and I can say that it gets the JAG seal of approval. This is not something I give out lightly.

So go check out this site and absorb its message. You will be familiar with a lot of it if you have been reading my stuff. Incorporate a few things from this site into your life and it will serve you well towards your long-term health.

http://www.diabetesfamilies.com/

Enjoy. And stay healthy.

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What is Body Tuning?

2011-03-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

The goal of Body Tuning is to return the body to its natural state of well-being. It uses movement as a guide. When the body is moving correctly is it pain-free. The purpose of Body Tuning is to find that easy place free of pain and restriction.

First, we use any of a wide variety of body work practices in order to feel, listen to and assess the way the joints and tendons and ligaments are moving. How easily and how quietly it is able to move, and how close to normal range of motion it has. A Body Tuner listens so intently that he can hear where the body is not moving freely. In this way, the body directs the tuner to what needs to be done.

A session of Body Tuning is usually around thirty minutes of hands on manual therapy. When you go to see doctors, chiropractors, acupuncturists or surgeons, who touches you for a full half hour? If you are complaining of an issue in your body, how can anyone expect to assess or treat the body without touching the body? Only massage therapists really do that. But Body Tuning isn’t massage, it feels very specific and is confident in being just the right thing for your body. It may use massage techniques, but it goes beyond into physical therapy, cranial-sacral, trigger point, deep tissue and many other modalities.

Another important aspect of Body Tuning is client education. A Body Tuner will give a patient specific exercises that are intended to address the specific issue. Usually one to three different exercises that are simple and meant to be done daily to give the client the ability to tune their own bodies and speed up their progress towards being pain-free and moving without restriction.

Acute injuries, chronic conditions and even the most horrific disfigurations can usually be treated with Body Tuning. The results may not be as immediate as surgery, but because of the nature of the work, co-operating with the body rather than cutting it open and forcing it into the desired shape, the results are permanent and free of negative side-effects. Read my blog post on the comparison of surgery v. body tuning here.

Nude Stretching

2011-03-04T17:33:00.000-08:00

I never thought I’d do something like this.

But over the years many people have suggested that I make a Nude Stretching Video. I guess the fact that I’m comfortable with nudity and with my body and that I’m a fitness pro with a passion for helping people made it seem like a no-brainer that I create something like this. But I’ve been resistant to doing it for a long time; for fear (I guess) of what the more conservative people might think.

Now, finally, I’ve succumbed to the requests and put something together. You conservative people will just have to look the other way. :)

Now, I haven’t made an X-rated video here; I'm just nude and I'm stretching. It's completely natural. This video blends a smart, educational stretching session with “Warhol-like” video interludes accentuating an eroticized appreciation of the male form. My intention was that it could be enjoyed on two levels. The free-style, hand-held segments demonstrate the positions from all angles and create an intimacy with the body as I demonstrate the stretches. And the instructional sections will help you get the most out of your own stretching routine.

You can use this 43 minute video over and over again. It demonstrates a full-body stretching sequence with specific guidelines and tips for making sure you stretch effectively and safely. There is also plenty of skin.

Please use the Buy Now button below to purchase. Once you’ve completed your transaction you will be immediately directed to your video and you could be watching it within a few minutes.

Enjoy,

Jason Alan Griffin

Buy This Apartment

2011-02-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

I made a quick video tour of our apartment which goes up for sale on March 1.

It’s just a quick video; nothing fancy. You really need to come by and see it to get a feeling for how charming it is.

A penthouse duplex in an elevator building with a security door that requires a secret code for entry after 11pm. The listing price is $645,000.

One thing I neglected to show in the video is the spectacular view of Manhattan. From the living room and from the roof-deck you’re facing uptown and have a skyline view of the AOL/Time Warner Center, the Hearst Building, World Wide Plaza Buildings, The New Times Building and many other prominent skyscrapers.

From the privacy of the roof deck, you can see the changing colors on the Empire State Building, watch fireworks over Central Park or over the Hudson River, and see the ball drop and the confetti rise up over Times Square.

Energy Flow Vibration Exercises

2011-02-26T05:50:00.000-08:00

Your brain is your key to health. These exercises are meant to be practiced with a mental focus on your body’s energy. This is truly a mind-body connection exercise.

Energy Flow Vibration uncovers your tremendous natural power to create, to heal and to love. Health is created by enhancing energy flow in the body. Here are some basic exercises you can do at home to improve your brain health. These are just meant to be a sample of the types of things you can do. Feel free to come up with your own or to spend a lot more time on the ones I’m showing.

Practice them with mindful and grand intentions that you are transforming yourself. Don’t just go through the motions of the exercises. Without this mindset, they won’t be as effective. Hold a very detailed picture in your mind, of “Yourself As You Would Like To Be.”

Everyone’s mind is a little bit different, so you’ll eventually find the groove that works best for you, but follow these guidelines to get you started:

Bigger Isn’t Always Better - the energy is the focus, not the movement.

Practice Anytime, For As Long As You Want - recommended daily: ten sessions of ten minutes each. But whatever you can do and whenever you can do it, is appropriate.

Be Aware Of Your Surroundings - notice that you get different effects in different environments.

Be Confident - focus on yourself and you will be right

Use Music If You Want - but beware of letting the music drive the beat. Your body’s energy should set the beat.

Send a Positive Message To Yourself - focus on and/or repeat a healing thought

Sometimes as your physical blockages are tapped into, it may release bad energy in the form of body aches or colds or heaviness or fatigue. This is not unusual. It is temporary and should not be discouraging.

Follow this sequence in all of the movements in your practice:

Deliberately Make Vibrations in Your Body - imagine that you are shaking off all of your life’s complications and releasing tension in your body.

Let Your Whole Body Ride the Rhythm - Allow the vibration to be subtle and spread throughout your body. You may start making spontaneous, healing movements

Follow The Flow of Energy - At some point you will notice a renewed burst of vigor and your movements will become bigger and more free. Your body’s healing process has just been unleashed and you will notice that you start to assume healing postures unique for your needs.

THE GOALS ARE:

Maintain Healthy Brain Waves - similar to meditation and biofeedback, medically beneficial Alpha and Theta waves

Manage Stress

Activate All Parts of Your Brain

Develop Positive Habits - this practice can assist your brain in remaining pliable and open to change

Create Happiness - you’ll return to a simple state of being

Restore a Healthy Energy Flow in the Body

Expand Your Awareness - of yourself and of the universe

Like a surfer rides the ocean, so you should approach the work of your Energy Flow. He must wipe out a hundred times to get that one good ride. But each wipe out is a lesson about balance and each lesson brings him one step closer to mastery. This is how you approach the work of living in and exploring and healing your body.

This work was inspired during the time I spent as a Body Tuning apprentice with Dr Shmuel Tatz, creator of Body Tuning. One day he handed me a book that one of his patients had lent to him. He asked me to look at it and tell him if I saw anything in it that would be useful to us as Body Tuners.

There was enough good information from the book about how our minds control our bodies and how techniques that relax the mind will also ease pain and tension from the body. And there were enough exercises in the book that I could make a short demonstrational video.

But there was nothing in the book that I could bring back to the doctor. There was nothing in the book that a Body Tuner isn’t already using. Body Tuning draws from everything. It is not a ‘technique.’ The concept of technique is limiting in and of itself. It binds the practitioner to a certain way of practicing. A Body Tuner listens to the body and responds to its needs; whatever that may be.

If you go to a chiropractor, you can bet you’re going to get chiropractic care. Just as you would expect to be Rolfed if you went to a Rolfer or operated on if you sought the advice of a surgeon. But if you visit a Body Tuner, you will only get what is right for your body at the time.

You may have three consecutive visits to a Body Tuner for the same issue, but have three completely different treatments. The treatments depend on your current condition, which is hopefully changing with each visit.

The reason Body Tuning is so effective, is also a major reason why it is so hard to describe. Because there is no method.

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JAGfit Transformation Program

2011-02-24T18:55:00.000-08:00

I have created a home-study program designed to help you transform into having a healthy lifestyle.

Watch this video that explains a little bit about where it came from and how it works, then click below to get started with your transformation.

This program will teach you...

- exactly how much water you should be drinking.

- a fun way to get a variety of nutritious foods in your diet (without counting calories)

- many techniques for relaxation and dealing with stress

- a few breathing techniques for a variety of purposes

- how to get better quality sleep

- how to walk properly

- a simple way to address kinks, aches and pains in your body

- a thorough explanation of the 'best exercise you can do'

and many other tips and guidance towards your healthy lifestyle.

This is a 90 day home study program that includes an email each day. Each email contains another step towards implementing your healthy lifestyle. If you tried to do it all at once, it would be overwhelming, but this step-by-step approach is so painless that you won't even realize your life is changing until people start to ask you what you've been doing because you look great. You'll also feel great. Most people report that they have more energy after only the first week of the program.

You are supported along the way. The whole time you're in the program you can contact me for personal assistance. If any email doesn't make sense, or if you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of the program you are free to email me and I'll respond within 24 hours.

You have access to one-on-one coaching for three months for less than the cost of a single private session with me.

To get started, click the Buy Now button below. As soon as we receive your $99 payment, you'll get your first email and you'll be off and running towards your new Healthy Lifestyle.

Please leave a comment.
...

Being Strong and Healthy While Doing Housework

2011-02-15T07:44:00.001-08:00

I’ve been spending this entire week doing repairs and improvements around the house. Doing all of this manual labor has gotten me thinking. I’m lucky I know how to use my body properly or I may be making myself sore from all of this.

I hear all the time from people who hurt their backs while doing manual labor. It doesn’t happen as much to people who do it for a living as compared to people who don’t. Because when people who don’t move that much set out to do something physical, they may not have good habits established and may not be practiced in the best ways to move.

I’ve made a little video here to get you started thinking about ways you can move your body while doing simple household chores.

The main emphasis is to protect your back while moving around the house, but these principles can also be applied to having proper body mechanics when exercising or doing anything physical.

Notice that the movements apply to things that don’t even seem to be strenuous. Many back injuries occur from simple things like bending over, when there is no attention to the details of ergonomic movement. By adding this attention to detail you can help to ensure you have a strong healthy back for your entire life.

And of course this is not a complete, comprehensive list of all the ways to properly use your body, it’s just a small sampling. But I hope this inspires you to take these tenets and apply them to the rest of your life.

Ok, I better get back to my chores. Enjoy this...

Preparing the Apartment to Sell

2011-02-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

I’m spending this week getting the apartment ready to show.

The plan is to be able to put the place on the market on March 1. So, I’m spending all of my time this week getting rid of clutter, cleaning up all the nooks and crannies and fixing those little things like loose handles, patches that need some touch-up paint, and little improvements geared towards appealing to a buyer’s eyes.

So, since I don’t have a lot of time to make videos this week, I’m just going to post this really brief one.

I’m demonstrating a great stretch for the torso that emphasizes ‘lateral stretch of the spine.”

This type of stretch is really good for anyone with tightness in their lower back. Very often, the lateral stretch is perfect because it addresses the obliques and the quadratus lumborum--two muscle groups that are often tight, often overlooked and are often a direct cause of lack of mobility and of lower back pain and discomfort.

So, watch this video and use it to free up the tension in your back.

I’ll be back after this week to make more videos and write more health-related entries on the blog.

Ok, back to scrubbing the shower stall. Ugh. Wish me luck

The Worm - A Body Tuning Exercise

2011-02-08T07:01:00.000-08:00

I’ve been getting requests to make another video. So...

In this video I’m demonstrating a movement I learned from Shmuel Tatz. He teaches it to people who have lower back pain and/or tension. Use this movement whenever you want to free up your back. You can do it every day, or as often as you like.

Avoid the common mistake of moving quickly. The movement should be done with awareness and sensitivity. The purpose of the movement is to change the state of your back muscles from tight and stiff to loose and comfortable.

Let me know how you like the movement I call The Worm.