A good friend and Patreon subscriber posed an inspiring inquiry into my thoughts on the balance between tension and relaxation in movement.
This inspired me to think on the Taoist concept of Wu Wei “Effortless Effort.” Akido masters teach students to use defense as an offense, where an attacker’s over-commitment to forward momentum brings them off balance and leaves them open to kinisthetic “suggestions” that may pull them further off center into a fall. The path to doing without doing is perhaps less obvious without an external opponent to reference; I suspect internal changes in personal consciousness offer information worth regarding and revisiting. The previous sentence is to illustrate that our “feeling of correctness” is largely a product of feeling familiar (as my teacher Nevine Michaan best illustrated to me); We must be scientific in our approach (experiment, measure and record results) as “Magicians” of esoteric arts are taught to do:
“Our method is science. Our aim is religion.”
-Aleister Crowley
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To again reference Nevine’s work, “this is what technique is for, so you don’t overheat.”
A common error when someone does commit to a physical practice is the feeling that if they are not exhausted the work was ineffectual. Overtraining will (at best) stunt progress, and has the potential of leading to injury; Start small and with daily goals that feel 80% successful without limiting your capacity to live daily life. If however the goal was 100% success, it was likely too easy to cause the catabolic response (breaking down of tissue in a strength context) to create the anabolic process (rebuilding of more resilient tissue) necessary for beneficial adaptation. What is personally the most beneficial adaptation is a profoundly individual question that will gain from external input. You will find tools on this page and also by visiting the pages of teachers I have studied with to find tools best suited of you.
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One doesn’t need a large tool box to start: Learn to use a harmer, nails, tape-measure and a pencil before you worry about building a house… In my latest educational post I was asked to address a sequence I utilize for anxiety and moving through Trauma, there you will find many of my favorite tools from Katonah Yoga for measuring, referencing and restoring. Notice the tools used in the aforementioned blog and consider applying them as additional technical tools (ways to build technique); finding spaces that lead to more effortless action in posture and movement. Technique, experienced resources and continued self observation with written/audio record (practice journal) are the best tools I know in working toward the mostly elusive balance point that is found in Unity/Wholeness/Yoga.
If you feel ready to take on more demanding postures/movements, take a look through previous posts and see how you might incorporate movements into the template outlined in the program blog linked above.
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