third eye window

Walking down  the path of ultimate fitness can be as easy as 1,2,3.
My experience as a fitness trainer, massage therapist and Yoga teacher has confirmed that everyone would like a pain free body, stronger muscles, a flatter stomach and stretchier legs.  After years of observing a wide variety of clients of all ages from extreme athletes to couch bound potatoes I have unequivocally concluded that all of our fitness dreams and goals can be met by following 3.5 easy steps:

Step 1: Set An Intention
Step 2: Get Into Motion
Step 2.5: Be Your Self
Step 3: Let Your Mind Expand

Step one is to set an intention.  Set an intention to walk down the path of ultimate fitness.  As unfathomable as it may seem to reach ultimate fitness, all you have to do now is set an intention to head out in that direction.  Right now the first step is to set an intention, nothing more and nothing less.  A clear intention sets the stage for any and all progress that you make down the path of ultimate fitness.  You and only you can create an intention that is clear and invites change.

Everything is in a state of change.  Change is flow.  Go with the changes to get into flow.  Whatever your health and fitness dreams, goals, desires or aspirations may be allow yourself to embrace change; set an intention that allows the changes in your life to flow freely.  The moment you observe and feel that everything is change you enter flow, you are flow.  Usually we block change, we only want to let a few things change and keep the rest the same.  Consciously or unconsciously we know that nothing stays the same.  Embrace all change and you flow.

Every intention that you set must be attainable in your mind’s eye.  To set an appropriate intention take stock of where you are now, where you’ve been and where you would like to go, anything is possible.  An intention is more than a goal, a goal is in the distance an intention is in the present moment.  An intention is not a work IN progress it is a work OF progress, it begins the moment you create it.  If you set an intention that you believe in with your whole heart then all the scales will tip in your favor.  Open your heart wide and let your new intention in.

Now, you have an intention and your bags are packed; let’s get moving!
Step two on the path to ultimate fitness and health is to: get into motion.  Life is motion.  The planet is spinning, the trees are waving, our cells are vibrating, our hearts are beating and on and on it goes.  Nothing is ever really still.  How can it be?   It’s in a state of change, right?

Although nothing is ever totally still there is a thing called a “still point”.  A still point  is felt when the body is in a state of perfect balance and synchronicity with it’s interrelating parts.  A still point creates a wave of synchronious movement between parts and the whole and the whole with the environment.  A sense of calm and peace emanates from a still point.  Deep states of flow are reached through still points.

Why am I talking about still points when we should be talking about step two, getting into motion?  Because still points are the fast track to complete freedom of movement in your body.  A still point is like being in a neutral, tension-free posture; no stress is entering the body, you are in a state of cohesive potential through an equilibrium that reaches down to a cellular level.  A still point is like being perfectly still but moving in a current that intuitively knows where you want, or need, to go; you are “in” the flow.  In this state the body can release stress, open blockages, free chronic pains and move with total freedom.  The point here is that in order to get into motion in the most beneficial way that allows the body to open and evolve it first needs to learn how to feel the state of being in a neutral stress-less zone.  To begin the process of getting into motion through the subtle flow of still points practice deep relaxation while lying flat on the ground, this is called Savasana or “corpse pose”.   The mind remains alert while the body goes in search of the still point.  Next practice sitting while in a chair or on a cushion like Sitting Bull; can you find the stillest, tension-free zone while just sitting?  It’s amazing how much tension the body holds when just sitting.  Once you have mastered the sitting still point try Tadasana, the mountain pose.  Begin by standing with your feet together, close the eyes and imagine looking from the inside out through a little window on your forehead, this is the best view from the top of the mountain.  The challenge is to find a tension-free balanced still point in your whole body while letting your legs plug deep into the earth and allowing the crown of your head to reach for the sky.  Take your time, practice once or twice a day for a few weeks until you feel steady and strong in your mountain pose with a sense of all and any tension dropping away like a waterfall.  After finding the still point and releasing stress while lying flat, sitting and standing the last thing to do is to apply your new mastery to all the activities of your daily life.  Moving through life in a tension-free balanced way will feel spacious, easy and full of new potential.   In this new state of free-flowing-movement every activity you engage in (getting dressed, getting in and out of the car, brushing your teeth, playing basketball ect.) has the potential to make you stronger, more fluid and bring you closer to ultimate fitness.

The recently discovered and challenging next step down the path of ultimate fitness (step 2.5) is: be your Self!  What are you anyway?  The human body is over 70% water.  Be your natural self, be like water.  Water is clear, smooth and sustaining.  Modern life can sometimes be like a busy beaver building dams all over the body thus confining and trapping it’s natural flow.  Water is flow, we need flow to link and integrate all the bits and pieces within us to create one optimal, functional and whole body.  To be your Self dismantle and open all the dams in your body and move through old patterns and habits that block you from moving effortlessly down the path of ultimate fitness.  This may take some shaking up and the neighbors may get surprised when all your dams burst open and you begin to move freely through life with all of your natural energy and strength.

Taking 3.5 easy steps down the path of ultimate fitness can sometimes turn into a daunting task and you may quickly be looking for a detour or start going off into trails with no outlet but if you evolve,move,change and flow staying on the right path becomes a reward in itself.  Let’s see what we have gathered to take along on the trip: we now have evolutionary intentions, tensionless forward motion  and a flowing energetic natural Self.  How do we proceed?  Well, why not get out of our own heads and take a field trip!? Step three down the path of ultimate fitness is: let your mind expand.  The body which is now enjoying it’s walk, run, bike and/or row down the path of ultimate fitness can not operate without a head (the mind).  The mind operates the body.  The mind is like the driver of a big yellow bus.  The mechanical parts of the bus are like our muscles, bones, organs and biochemistry.  The passengers in the seats are like our emotions.  This gets complicated, I know, but try to imagine a bunch of screaming kids as the passengers, the bus is on the highway with the check engine light blinking and all of a sudden the steering wheel starts shaking because of a wobbly tire.  It’s most likely that the bus driver (the mind) would be just fine because we all normally operate on autopilot, things take care of themselves.  From the day we are born the brain creates a pattern for every kind of movement and common situation that we get into on a daily basis.  That means that most of our daily movements and reactions to things are done automatically, they are pre-programed.  Here’s the big but: but just because most of our  movements and reactions are automatic and preprogramed it does not mean that they are good for us.  Our ingrained patterns may take us way off the path the same way the big yellow bus may be late or may break down because the driver is distracted by the uproarious passengers and does not see that the check engine light is blinking.  To have control of the whole big yellow bus while it’s rolling down the highway and in order to be prepared for any unexpected events that may pop up we need to go beyond the normal every-day-mind.  To enter a state of total-body-awareness one leaves the confines of the every-day-mind and attains a longer view and a wider scope.  We no longer need to walk down the path looking down two or three feet past our toes, we can now raise our gaze, we can now let the mind expand and see far into the horizon.  When we let the mind expand out of the cranium we enter total-body-awareness.  Every subtle movement the body makes in space can be in alignment with our mind, every emotion that enters into our body can flow through us like water.  Allow the mind to expand and go anywhere and everywhere you want be.

It takes time, focus and dedication to achieve total-body-awareness, it all begins with an intention.  Before you get on the bus decide what kind of a trip you’d like to take and know in your heart that you can flow over any bumps that may appear along the way.  Your intentions are packed, the bus is in motion, be your self, enjoy the ride and expand into your greatest possibilities!  The path of ultimate fitness, it’s as easy as 1,2,3 and just a half step more.
Be well,
RM

You are the center of your own universe.

To best relate your center to life you must align with the vertical axis of gravity. The pull of gravity is vertical, from sky to earth. The free fall of life is unlikely to change any time soon. The law of gravitation is a convenient truth because it is a constant that you can align with. The normal tendency is to hold the body up against gravity…shapeshift happens when you allow gravity to hold you up. Relating the vertical pull of gravity to a horizontal plane is what posture, functional movement and being human is all about.

It is easy to put verticalness into practice: Stand upright and then drop everything but remain standing. To drop everything start by releasing the shoulders and balance the head with the least amount of muscle tension.
Next unlock the hips, knees, ankles and elbows…no holding of any muscle.
Sense your center just below your naval and imagine a gyroscope there helping you to maintain equilibrium and prop you up with the invisible support of gravity.

Why is it that a sleep walker looks as if they are floating in space and sometimes people that are totally awake look like walking robots? The sleep walker uses gravity for support and a minimal amount of muscle tension. Muscle tension blocks flow and sensory awareness. The release of muscle tension allows free movement and a greater connection with the earth. Many times muscle tension is caused by pain (physical and/or emotional) and is difficult to let go of. Many people choose to leave pain under wraps rightly knowing that if they choose to begin to unwrap it would be a long journey. Every journey is an adventure. If you do choose to take the trip you are sure to make some new discoveries and have a thrill!

The heart is a vital organ, a pump that maintains life in the body. The heart also provides a sense of purpose and direction as we move through life.
If you have attended a Yoga class or two you may have heard the teacher say “connect with your heart” or “open your heart”. A voice teacher may have said “sing from the heart”. During a love squabble a friend may have said “what does your heart tell you?” When we speak from the heart, move from the heart and express our heart’s will the body naturally aligns vertically. We are either expressing or protecting. Protecting rounds the body into itself,creates muscle tension and fights gravity. To reach your true vertical alignment listen to what your heart is saying and let it lead the way.

Verticalness is an expression of your Self, it can take many shapes and is different in every Body. We have all crawled around on four legs in the early stages of life. It’s hard to find a crawling baby that does not look as happy as can be. Having four feet on the ground and the heart facing down creates a strong connection with the earth. As upright two legged beings we are far away from this strong connection. It is a challenge to maintain a relaxed posture while walking on two legs. Often times the manner of walking evolves into a perpetual falling forward and catching. To walk with a smooth flow and coordinated breath it is necessary to be able to balance all of one’s weight on one leg and then transition to the other leg while maintaining a relaxed lower back. A natural relaxed walk lubricates the joints of the body without stressing them.

Use a third eye view to observe yourself as you walk. Before you begin your walk align vertically and drop any muscle tension. Have an awareness of your whole body from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head. As you walk keep continually dropping muscle tension and feel the transition from one leg to the other. Let your slow stride be a walking massage as your joints hinge, swivel and rotate happily.

Enjoy your verticality!

RM

Knock knock.
Who’s there?
Your Body.
Your Body who?
Your out of Body experience that wants to come back in!

Sorry about that, not a good knock knock joke but the question is: are you in your Body? Often times we leave our body vacant of our Selves to make room for storage. Storage of programs and patterns that do not need our conscious mind to operate. It’s like out-sourcing the body’s functional movements and reflexes to a robot, you no longer need to be there. Learned automatic movement patterns are natural programs in the body that leave the conscious mind free to deal with immediate matters like your to-do list. This is all well and good except that the automated goings-on of the body can take over. The whole body starts wanting to operate on autopilot and body parts get downsized or taken out of the auto-loops that the brain has created. Before long all that’s moving in your body is two index fingers on a keyboard and the eyeballs in your head! No, no, no… don’t be such an alarmist!!!
It’s not all that bad….(yet).

Is this the future-shock of the Body? All work and no joint freeing, muscle-relaxing play makes Jack a sluggish and tired old body. Even if you are a seasoned athlete there is always some obsolete pattern that can be let go of to make room for fresh ideas and more ease of movement. If you are one who has not made contact with their body in some time, or maybe never, do not let that stop you. What is the worst thing that can happen if you try to connect with your body? That you’ll find some cob webs? That it won’t work the way you wish it could? That it won’t even want to talk to you after so long? You may feel accustomed to your body’s aches and pains; you may even think that it’s better to leave some stones unturned….well, suit yourself. Where ever you may be on the spectrum of couch potato to extreme athlete the fact remains that the body loves change and challenges. Keep it guessing, give it a surprise, take it for a walk or say “hey body let’s take a long hot bath and get a massage.”

The body can recover and rehabilitate itself from accidents and traumas big and small. To make a shapeshift one must first make a mind-shift. The body loves change and challenge but the mind most often likes status quo and the easy way out. The shift to take control of your body begins in the mind. The way to begin a shapeshift at any level is to observe and take note of all the things your body does on autopilot. Pay close attention to movement patterns of the most basic things like walking, getting in and out of your car, what pant leg you put on first and even how you breathe. All the movements you do without even thinking. Chances are that one side of your body is working harder than the other. If you have some chronic pain or injury it is likely that another part of your body is doing most of the work.

The goal is to inhabit your body fully. To be free of pain and have full range of motion of all of your joints. Try shifting into a greater awareness of the body by observing it’s automatic mechanisms. Once you begin to shapeshift the mind turns off the auto pilot and begins to navigate with all of it’s natural senses. Don’t worry if any of these senses are a bit rusty…time is on your side.

Watch and observe yourself. Notice what movements in your daily life you enjoy and what movements you avoid. Perhaps you avoid bending your left knee because of an old injury. Notice,observe and take note of all your automated movements throughout the day…you may be surprised at what you find.

Be well,

RM