I have a new mat workout video to share with you!
“DIVING DEEPER PILATES MAT”
The workout is challenging and more intermediate, than my last video I shared, “A Little Aloha.” Some of the more intermediate exercises include; roll-over, open leg rocker, swan, single and double leg kick, neck pull, shoulder bridge, side leg series, teaser, and seal. It’s 30 minutes long.
“The only actions that do not have an opposing reaction are those that are aimed at the good of all….Consider the totality of the whole” – Eckhart Tolle
Hola friends,
I have noticed, that we have a tendency to either ‘push’ or ‘pull’ ourselves in and out of postures, movements, and in general terms, life itself. This either ‘push’ or ‘pull’ action and mentality can not only be tiresome it also separates us from experiencing a balanced and more wholistic posture/movement where the whole body connects and the two actions of ‘pulling’ and ‘pushing’ instead become one that encourages more harmony, acceptance, and overall enjoyment. I have found that I have no need to ‘push’ or ‘pull’ when I am truly present and allow myself to feel what I am doing, it is MAGIC! That said, I have definitely had many experiences when I have either chosen to ignore the moment and my feelings and even have resisted my feelings for the sake of my ego and what others might think of me.
In this reflection, I would like to highlight the ideas behind ‘pushing’ and ‘pulling.’ Even though, both actions are needed and necessary, finding the right balance between the two is where the magic is! It takes some awareness, perseverance, the right attitude, and most important, the ability to accept the present moment even though you may not like what you see or feel!
Personally I have struggled with this balance and still do time to time when I do not accept where I am at. Accepting and honoring the reality of my own experience in my body must come before any pushing or pulling for the right balance to take place. Even if I have the awareness, and right attitude, it won’t be enough! That said, if you honor and accept where you are at, you can really begin to unite and feel your body as one integrated piece which is my hope for all of us as we continue to strengthen and lift ourselves up:).
Finding the right balance between ‘push’ and ‘pull’ is quite simple once you allow yourself to accept. I have lacked this acceptance at different occasions in my Pilates practice and in my life; have you? When I lacked the action of ‘pull’ I experienced muscle strain and disconnection in both my pelvis and shoulder centers. On the flip side, I have also experienced overdoing the ‘pull’ action; if you tend to hold your breath, this may be your tendency too? Hopefully you will not follow me and swing from one extreme to the next, but instead continue to accept and find balance between the two. Simply put, keep in mind that every movement you make should be performed in a balanced way. For every action in one direction, there must be a balancing action in an opposite direction.
What exactly should the action of ‘pulling’ and ‘pushing’ feel like?
The action of ‘pulling’ is an effort for us to stabilize, connect, and integrate our bodies primarily at our pelvic center and shoulder girdle. ‘Pulling’ our muscles to our bony structures is a very active conscious firming of your muscles to your bones as well as a dynamic drawing of energy from your periphery into your center. This action is essential to the practice of Pilates! Many of you know that some parts of us are stronger than other parts so when we try to pull muscle energy to the core or our pelvis to stabilize it can be tricky, as we need to sync and pull from several muscles groups at the same time. For instance, in order for us to stabilize our pelvis there needs to be a balanced participation of all the surrounding muscle groups pulling and syncing together (abdomen, upper inner thighs, upper inner hamstrings, upper outer thighs, buttocks, etc…). Simply put, the action of ‘pulling’ to our center gives us not only stability in our body but also provides us with boundaries and a framework to work with as you progress in your workout.
The action of ‘pushing’ is much more subtle. Instead of using our muscles to embrace our bones as we do in ‘pulling’ to stabilize our center, we powerfully expand and extend outward from our “center(s)” in our bones, in an effort to create more space and more freedom in our joints and whole body. I am sure many of you have heard me say “radiate your limbs like rays of bright sunshine out in all directions from your center, just how a star and sun radiates from its center”.
I use the breath as a tool, to teach these 2 actions.
Inhale – HUG (another way to say ‘pull’) your muscles to your bones and stabilize at your center
Exhale – keeping your stability and muscle energy supporting your center, expand (nice way to say ‘push’) from that center in all directions through the bones of your body to feel more extension and space within.
The action of ‘pulling’ to create our own firm boundaries in our body is essential; without it, the expansion of ‘pushing’ will not have anything to push out against, which will limit any possible growth and progress. The goal is to find balanced action between ‘pulling’ in and ‘pushing’ out in an effort to create both optimal stability and freedom of movement in the body so energy can flow freely without getting stuck in any particular place; you are constantly working at it. Finding this balance is worth the challenge!
What are your tendencies? Do you pull in more than you push out? Or push out too much? I hope you can work on the balance you deserve in and out of your workouts and most importantly accept and honor where you are at to feel the magic that embraces and surrounds you always.
Adios,
Brooke
-all ingredients are ORGANIC-
Brooke’s Spirulina guacamole:
*inspired from eating at Don Taco Tequila in San Miguel De Allende.
6 avocados
4 tsp spirulina
1/2 -1 tsp salt
juice of 4 limes
pinch or 2 of cayenne pepper
lots of cilantro:)
1/2 sweet onion chopped
*Mix the 4 avocados and spirulina first before adding the last 2 avocados & the remaining ingredients.
Brooke’s ‘Honey Mama’ chocolate bars:
*inspired from my favorite after lunch/dinner treat. Found at PCC, whole foods, central market in the refrigerated vegan dessert section.
1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate (I used Theo 85% chocolate)
1/4 cup raw cacao powder
4 tbsp roasted unsalted almonds (any nut would be delicious)
1 Tbsp instant espresso powder
1/4 cup honey (any sweetener would work, I personally like these without the sweetener)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
generous maldon salt flakes
Process –
1 – Line ‘banana loaf’ pan with parchment paper and cover bottom of pan with the 1/3 cup dark chocolate
2 – In a food processor blend almonds & cacao powder until a nice combined consistent texture
3 – On stove stop melt coconut oil, honey until a candy thermometer reads 120 degrees Celsius. Remove from heat and add in vanilla, espresso powder and cacao/almond mixture.
4 – Pour warm mixture over the chopped chocolate as evenly as possible. Top mixture with salt flakes (be generous, in my opinion!)
5 – Freeze for 30 minutes.
6 – Take out of loaf pan and slice into desired pieces.
7 – Store in fridge.
Voila!
Aloha,
I hope you enjoy my latest video
Here’s what you can expect
“life is all about figuring it out”
“courage is required to change our minds when we realize that we are merely instruments of it’s will and it is HIS will we ought to fulfill”
“there is no difference between the sea and the waves. When a wave swells, it is made of water. When it breaks against the sand it is also made of water. Everything and everybody is the same, this is the mystery and the end”
-Paulo Coehlo
HIPPIE
ALOHA!
In the following I reflect on my own practice of doing a handstand. I chose to write a little something on this topic, in hopes to shed a light on how the practice of Pilates and the practice of doing a handstand are very similar.
A couple reasons why PILATES and HANDSTANDS are similar…
I could keep going as I truly love going upside down and probably do it at least once a day (several/day if I am in Hawaii enjoying he beach:)). My family knows that handstands just make me feel better! Please know that I understand handstands are not for everyone, as there are always exceptions, however just the practice of imagining yourself balancing upside down can teach you a lot if you think about what is required. For me, practicing handstands has been one of my best teachers in figuring out what my body needs more of to balance as one piece!
MY journey doing a handstand started after I saw Pontus do one up against a wall as part of his push-up exercise routine (we were just newly weds at the time). I thought to myself, that is so amazing, and thought I would love to be able to do that! I tried, but completely collapsed on the ground after trying to kick up several times. Not too long after that experience my Anusrara yoga teacher at that time in Des Moines Iowa(Brett Berlin-Scott) started having the class practice handstands in most if not all her classes. I remember dreading this portion of the class (in the beginning), as I was one of the only one(in the beginning) who could not get my feet up and over my head. I was very embarrassed especially as I was also probably the youngest in the class(24 at the time). In fact, I believe several times in class I made a point to go to the bathroom just to have an excuse not to participate in that portion of the class. However with more practice, understanding of body mechanics and a courageous determined spirit I was committed to learning how to do a handstand. Therefore, it wasn’t long until I was able to kick up into some contortion of a handstand resembling what you call a “banana back.” Fast forward several more years of practice and I am able to pull myself up into a handstand that is strong, connected, and resembles one piece.
Currently I enjoy doing a handstand dropping into a backbend and back up to standing. I am working now on moving from a backbend to handstand. WHY some of you may ask? Because it feels good and i’m having fun!
I believe that strengthening my center, learning more about body mechanics, but most importantly, understanding the following ideas(principles) was a huge piece in my success in achieving a handstand. I believe some of my biggest lessons were the following:
1 – Prioritize length and space before you connect and engage.
It’s not about having strong arms and shoulders, it’s more about having an open chest, and have enough mobility in the shoulders to connect the arms bones in the socket to stabilize!
2 – Every part/piece counts; whole body awareness.
The more you engage and press down deliberately with all your finger pads and finger knuckles, you’ll have more success in balancing and also creating more length up through the rest of your body.
3 – HUG YOUR MID-LINE.
Isometric energy between hands and triceps. Squeeze your inner thighs up your inner foot like crazy.
4 – Always a 2-way stretch.
Root to rise. From the focal point in your heart, push down through your hands and in opposition to this reach up and lift through your torso, legs and feet!
5 – Breathe
Use inhales to engage muscles and pull energy from peripheral parts(feet and hands) into the focal point of the heart center. Use exhales to reach out and extend more length through your bones from the center of your heart back to peripheral parts. Keep it big and bright. The bigger the breath, the more opportunity to create inner space and therefore length!
6 – Attitude
I think you all can agree when I say, having the right attitude can definitely make all the difference.
Now when someone asks you what is Pilates? I hope you think about HANDSTANDS and all that is required! This to me is Pilates! It’s interesting to me because I find most people forget to think of how their core connects to the rest of their body, as standing well (handstand upside down:)) can strengthen your abdominals! It’s not about isolating muscle groups, it’s rather about integrating the body in one unit. If you have read my reflections I am sure you know what I mean. My goal in teaching Pilates is to help you build your own awareness of your body as a whole and help you put your pieces together. I hope my instruction and classes encourage you to listen and believe in yourself. How can YOU position yourself in the most optimal balanced way to experience ultimate function and integration in and out of our body?
As you see this can be a lot to ask. I do my best to be encouraging, as it does get better and my regulars(grateful for you!) are my proof.:) A committed Pilates practitioner knows there is always so much going on and to be aware of. This takes a lot of patience and practice to get better at recognizing and after a while it is second nature, however don’t get too comfortable as just with life there is always going to be something more to learn, and pay attention to. The hope is that you stay empowered and on top of the “waves of life.” The waves relentlessly pound sometimes and it can be hard to take a breath. Stay with it…you’ll ride it soon.
Here’s to feeling more connected to ourselves in the new year. I hope its’s fulfilling, positive, bright, and beautiful!
ALOHA,
BROOKE
GROUP CLASSES
PILATES – Wednesday 8:30-9:25
YOGA – Monday 10:45am-11:45am
*classes at Community Fitness – Flow studio
In my opinion the essence of Pilates is working from our center while incorporating a “2-way stretch.” Doesn’t sound so bad does it? However, What does working from our center actually mean and require? Keeping it simple and staying aware of the essence of what we are trying to achieve in our Pilates practice is not an easy task:).
For new students in particular, I know that the challenge of learning the practice of Pilates can be quite overwhelming. The practice requires a lot of body/mind synchronization and awareness as there are many parts to connect. It’s so much more than just exercise. It’s posture redefining and general reprograming that requires significant discipline and a whole lot of strength.
Something that I see often with new students, and time to time in seasoned practitioners, including myself, is that we get too stuck on “doing it right” or focus too much on what isn’t working. This “attitude” can easily distract us from seeing what is working and unfortunately disconnect us from our center to allow us to reap the benefits of the practice.
Fortunately, we can all use the principles of Pilates as tools to pull us back to our center(s) when we get lost. The principles of Pilates are the same for everyone, but, acknowledging that we are all different and not the same, we all have to listen to ourselves and pinpoint our own priorities as our own situations will differ from one another and also slightly within ourselves depending on the day. Hopefully we can adapt, adjust, and have fun!
So what are the principles of Pilates? There are 6 main principles which are the listed below.
-center
-concentration
-control
-precision
-breath
-flow
Although there are several principles to Pilates I would like to focus on the main and first principle of Pilates – Center! As I stated above, in my opinion, the essence of Pilates basically means to work from our center incorporating a “2-way stretch”. In order to work from our center, we should be able to locate our center. The core of our pelvis is our main center(focal point) for most of our beginner and intermediate Pilates work. Being aware of the muscles that surround this center is the next step. The core of our pelvis is surrounded with our gluteals, abductors, adductors, quadriceps, hamstrings, lower back, and low abdomen. Using the muscles listed above, we need to essentially do 2 things.
1 -stabilize our center in a “balanced, symmetrical way.”
2 – sustaining our balanced stability, incorporate a “2-way stretch.”
The above actions seem simple enough, right!? The difficulty increases as you move from one posture to the next. For many, I see overworked and tight quadriceps and weak hamstrings and gluteals that pulls their pelvic center out of balance. That person may be stable, but unfortunately, in an unbalanced way. In this scenario, if not corrected they would continue to strengthen the muscles that are already too tight and the muscles they really need to turn on never get worked. How frustrating this is! I can say this as I have been there.
Furthermore, as we progress into more advanced postures in the system of Pilates so does our center(focal point)! In fact, as the flow increases and moves become more challenging there may be several centers that you would move back and forth between.
“Centers” that are focal points:
1.core of our pelvis – used in most beginner and intermediate Pilates exercises
2.back of our heart center – used when we are inverted (ex. elephant)
3.upper palate – used when inverted in which your head is part of the foundation(for more advanced work, such as long spine, head stands)
The practice of Pilates is WORK in that it challenges us to always reconnect literally and metaphorically to our center! That being said, I wanted to write this article to encourage ALL of us to to focus MORE on what is working for you, and the things you do that feel right and create more integration and good vibes for your whole body. It should feel good! Keeping this “attitude” as opposed to the other alternative of what’s not working I find allows me and my body to be more receptive and open and as consequence I experience more inner space and freedom to make the connections to work from a balanced center.
Some days are definitely more challenging than others and our body will be proof of this, but having an open, positive, attitude and continuing to be curious to learn more despite our problems will help us. Pay attention, listen, and try not to be “done” before you begin! That’s why I called my studio Le Bureau…Its’ meaning is the office (in french), and therefore, I hope you will come to work curious and ready to to grow more into your own center every single day; as that, in my opinion, is the true essence of Pilates.
BISOUX,
Brooke
Dear friends!
I am very fortunate to have just returned home from “summer camp” myself! I was in Encinitas. practicing yoga for 5 days with my favorite Yoga teacher, Desiree Rumbaugh, her husband Andrew Rivin, and the amazing kula she attracts. She calls the retreat; “Raising your Vibration!” It did just that.
Every day we self-reflected on what practices bring our “vibration” down and what practices we could be more aware of that may raise our current vibrational state. We shared our reflections with the group of 66 other yogi participants ranging in age from early 30’s to 80 years of age. It was fantastic! I loved the different perspectives that the diversity of the group brought to our conversations. That said, regardless of our age difference and the various experiences we all had, we all shared in the same spiritual/philosophical outlook on life; and we could all understand and listen to each other.
In today’s post I would like to share with you what brings me down and what I do to raise my vibrational or “energy” state back up so I do not pull anyone else down with me. I will then tie this idea into how being aware of our emotional state can enhance our Pilates practice and any other endeavors we choose. I truly believe that we get good at what we practice, and being aware of the how we practice is just as important if not more important than what we practice.
I can’t count, nor would I want to count, how many times I have heard, “let it go” in my life. Each situation is different and the dynamic of who is involved at a particular moment always plays a role in my personal ability to simply “let it go”… As you may be able to imagine, I can be stubborn and have my ideals. Letting go of “being right” is hard for me! I believe we all, including myself, should soften more and acknowledge the “other side” in an effort to make better connections and communicate with more fluidity. It’s sometimes hard to see it, but I do believe we always have a choice to either insist on our opinion or accept another point of view.
I have a hard time “letting it go” when I know deep down the statement is true and it involves people I care for the most. I typically get so upset that my body also reflects my emotional state. I find myself holding my breath, or my breath is shallow and short. I also hold tension and my muscles will harden around areas in my body were I have experienced injuries in the past. My husband calls this muscle memory.
This difficulty to soften and feel my body connect into what I am doing (such as in the reformer, my mat, etc) affects the outcome and what I get in return from my practice. It’s not simply going through the motions that makes a practice effective its truly being able to feel and participate with full awareness that makes the practice beneficial.
I know deep down how absurd It is when I get so upset, as I know, this state will do nothing for me and the others involved, as it will just bring them and myself down… lowering the vibrational state. Who wants to be down?
In an effort to help myself and others(regardless if I understand them or not) I know that I must engage in things that bring me joy. When I am loving what I do, I react less
because I am relaxed and I am less likely to feel the need to “be right.” Therefore, I know I must find and continue to do the things that fill me up with joy! This is of corse different for everyone. In a movie I just watched, “Ride”, featuring Helen Hunt, there is a part of the movie when Helen asked a friend what he wished his mother would have done when she was going through a tough time. Her friend said, “ I wished she loved life anyway”.
We all go through tough experiences and may even struggle with pain in some form on a daily basis. Should we let those experiences and pain always get the best of us? Always playing victim to our pain and struggle, because we have to be “right?” Ultimately, the choice is up to us! What can we do? There are different answers for all of us as we must inquire within.
I hope you stay grounded in activities that give you joy. In my opinion this will not only help you react less in stressful times but also enhance your ability to connect to your body in your Pilates practice and any other practice worth your effort, not to mention raise yours and others vibrational state!
Ciao Bella,
Brooke
THE SPY – PAULO COELHO
So, I was running late to my tennis practice after having a full morning of teaching. As I arrived, I realized I was pretty tired only having had my morning bullet coffee at 5am and a green juice to sustain my energy and here it was already Noon. I thought oh well! I can get by for the next hour. Being 10 minutes late, I missed our typical warm up of drills and easy rallies. Not thinking too much about it I started swinging hard and giving my usual 100%. Not 10 minutes into my practice I realized I had probably pulled/strained a muscle in my neck. I am thinking to myself, “Brooke what are you doing! Why didn’t you warm up, you know better!” However, hoping my pain would just magically disappear, I continued on with my practice stretching whenever I had a chance in between shots.
With my background rooted strongly in the practice of Pilates and Yoga, in addition to having an amazing physiatrist D.O. as a husband, I do feel very fortunate as I can usually pull myself up and out of discomfort quicker than I would say most people I know. Usually, as soon as I feel better, I tend to overdo, and history repeats itself; however, these days, I am truly trying to pay attention, give myself more time, and not allow my “stories” to repeat themselves!
Today, I want to share with you some of my tricks for feeling better when I am experiencing pain. I would also recommend coming to see my husband or another sports medicine doctor you trust and who also practices what they preach:).
Now I would like to put a little more emphasis and detail on points 2 and 3, and how you can incorporate these ideas into your Pilates practice.
With regards to my point referring to encouraging a “TALL BACK”, please consider the following ideas…
Make sure your spine is in agreement. In other words, do not confuse your spine/posture, by having one part of your spine round (or tucked under) while the other end is trying to extend and lengthen in opposition. Therefore, as a general rule or principle, the spine should either be round or tall, not round and tall at the same time! Yes, you can encourage length in a round back, but the spine should flow uniformly from the bottom to the top and vice versa. That said in a round back, the whole spine should make the shape of a capital C and in a tall back the tail bone should be free (not tucked under) and the crown extending up with extension making more a vertical line, or soft S-curve, top to bottom.
In a tall back, one should not constrict and block the base of their spine by drawing their tail bone under (tucking). This action practiced in a tall back, will compress and tighten the base of the spine more than protect and strengthen that area, causing confusion and lack of flow and freedom in other parts of the spine. Adding on to this, as you keep your tail bone free, it is also very important to integrate and feel the inner thighs pull up and into your center as if your tall back started down at your inner upper knee. This requires a lot of hugging to your midline!
My point I am trying to make is to be aware and sense your spinal position. Know whether the exercise requires a round or tall back as this will determine the action of your tailbone! Lastly, remember that the dynamic of tucking in a tall back will confuse the spine. The spine, should flow uniformly and there should not be any kinks and or breaks stopping the flow, as this works against the natural curve.
For my critics who may believe, tucking would support the back, especially when moving into extension (think swan/cobra/updog); I would say, is it necessary to tuck in an effort to support your low back if you are integrated and pulling to your midline through your lower body (feet shins, inner an outer thighs, buttocks), as you should be? Maybe you will find you do not really need to tuck if you instead pay more attention to how you integrate your lower body in your 2-way stretch?
Lets say you are in a lunge (think going up in electric chair)…do you feel you need to tuck if you are doing the following actions?:
1. ground and simultaneously pull up and out of the arches in your feet (I like to say short feet)
2. pull ankles and shins to your midline, as you draw your thigh bones back and apart to wake up inner thighs and create space in the low back and hips. This action will definitely take any tucking out if you are doing this action properly.
3. PUSH the floor away, without tucking and maintaining the above actions! Lastly, pull and tone your low belly in and up off your upper thighs. This will support your low back and also encourage communication between your lower and upper spine to continue to build more and more space. Feel the space and length run from your pelvic floor all the way up to the roof of your mouth sustaining your powerful reach down in opposition through your lower body.
I hope you Love yourself enough to pay attention to what you are feeling. Listen to what your body is telling you. I hope you will find more and more freedom and less pain in your body. Don’t forget to warm up too!:)
Enjoy my newest video showing all TALL back exercises on the electric chair!
Bises,
Brooke
My husband says that I am the master of the “feist.” True, I am opinionated, and can put up a good fight. I must point out, that I try to be respectful and not give my ‘2 cents’ when it is not asked for and will knowingly not be received. I have been reflecting on my fighting spirit. Although I am fortunate for this quality, I also contemplate how much fight is needed? My sign is the Pisces after all, and this zodiac sign shows 2 fish swimming in opposite directions! However, as long as my 2 fish are swimming at the same speed it should keep me in balance, right?
Resistance is very important for sustaining balance in life. If there is no resistance, there is lack of challenge, play, growth, and in my opinion, freedom. In this following reflection, I reflect on how much resistance is needed in our bodies, in particular, to connect between the arms and low back when the arms are stretched over head.
Why am I choosing to reflect on this…
1 -Personally, I have had much trial and error with finding this connection and I will share what I have discovered and give you some food for thought to help you find your best connection.
2 – I feel that the cue “pull your shoulders down the back” is not only over used it’s misunderstood and used at inappropriate times.
*Please note – The shoulders require a variety of different cues to connect it optimally depending on the plane the arm is in in relation to the spine.
3 – I feel too many people are causing more harm to their bodies trying to keep their shoulders pulled down. There is a difference between someones shoulders being chronically lifted and strained due to stress compared to someone shrugging their relaxed shoulders to their ears to encourage side body length and to decompress their spine.
The following is some background on my personal journey:
I broke my back when I was 7. In my recovery, I was told not to participate in gymnastics or dance etc. and just to swim. I continued to swim well into my college years. As I look back, although I will forever be grateful for my swimming and the ability to stretch my body and the feeling it gives me, I also feel, I was chronically using my shoulders and not enough of my center.
Shortly after college, when I started getting more into fitness (weight lifting, fitness classes, kick box…you name it I did it). I learned quickly that my lack of core strength in combination with my hyper mobile shoulders did not go well together. At that time, I was suffering from thoracic outlet syndrome and having pain and numbness in my arms and hands that would often wake me up in the middle of the night. From this experience, I realized that the shoulder joint is complex, and it was essential that I needed to educate myself , especially, if I wanted to continue to do what I loved most…to move!
Having the desire to understand and feel better, I was fortunate to have gotten into Anusara Yoga, an alignment based yoga linked with heart themes. I first learned how to align the shoulder joint optimally through my first Anusara Yoga training back in 2004.
Below are some general points I learned that, I think, are worth considering when your arms are stretched up over head.
NO DOUBT, reading the following is one thing, seeing and feeling another, AND I myself am a visual learner. Therefore, I am happy to demonstrate my thoughts and words in person.
*Also, please note – The following does not apply if you have lack of shoulder mobility and it either hurts to bring your arms over head and/or you cannot retract your arm bones(gently yet firmly) back in the shoulder socket and feel your shoulder blades on your back. If this is the case you need to work instead with mobility exercises such as sternum drops and arm circles with your back supine on a foam roller. Need some more ideas?
1. Lifting and Shrug shoulders up to your ears in effort to lengthen your side body.
2. Keep the length of your sides and engage your arm bones back in the socket, this may require you to have your arms more forward of your shoulders.
3. Keep pulling to the mid line. In other words, when the arms are stretched overhead(Palms facing one another shoulder distance apart), keep some isometric energy between the hands and forearms to help keep width and space in the chest and upper back.
4. “KIDNEY LOOP” The below is Doug Keller’s (amazing teacher) definition –
The “kidney loop” starts at the base of the abdomen, just below the navel, and lifts up and draws back from just below the kidneys, taking the lower ribs back while creating length in the side body. With this action, the kidney loop makes room for the expansion of the diaphragm in the back of the body. It moves upward to the bottom tips of the shoulder blades and forward through the heart or center of your chest. From there it draws downward through the Xiphoid processs (bottom tip of sternum) and solar plexus as it returns back to the point right above the navel. the breath to transform the inner landscape of the body.
5. Keep all the above actions and stretch. Use inhalation to create space and length and the exhalation to engage kidney loop and mid-line. Give equal attention to both the inhale and exhale and their actions.
Keeping all the actions mentioned above in balance is the “practice.”
Back to my personal journey…
For many years, I believe, in my efforts to build strength, and find better connection from my low back to my hands when stretched overhead, I forgot to first find length (the one thing I really knew how to do well). I therefore, lost my balance and as a result, I was putting too much pressure and stress on my trapezius and levator scapula muscles when my arms were positioned over head.
Therefore, is the cue, “pull your shoulders down the back” always appropriate? I argue, absolutely not, especially when you have mobility in your shoulder joint, and your arms are over your head. Pulling your shoulders down in effort to find connection, may, instead, cause more tightness and less space in ones shoulders and back, leading to a dysfunctional and not sustainable connection over time. In general, this is not a great cue.
Now movement in Pilates is a little more upbeat than an Anusara Yoga class, however the same alignment principles apply.
How much resistance do you actually need? You are the ultimate decision maker! Hopefully you are present enough to listen to what your body is telling you, and humble enough to adapt to how much resistance you require. I hope you don’t allow your needed RESISTANCE to pull you down. Never compromise your posture, and when in doubt, prioritize your length! Continue to breath and use your inhales to find more inner space and your exhales to find more center as you work towards your ultimate goal of finding more connection in your life relationships, and of corse, your hands to low back.
Bisoux,
Brooke
lebureau.live 