The best book I ever read on running was by Jack Heggie, 'Running With The Whole Body,' where he has a chapter on the development of soft feet, the best way to have happy feet. I now find that my feet tell me all about the general tension in the rest of my body. For instance, if I have tightness on the lateral margin (outside edge) of one or both feet, it almost always indicates tightness in my hip rotators or ... Read more
Hi folks, I recently posted on the issue of my dramatically improved swim times in the pool as a result of Rick Fee's encouragement to focus more on conditioning than technique, and my coach indicating how I might engage my lat (Latissimus dorsi) muscles more effectively. Interestingly, I now feel that this is paying dividends for running. I suspect that the benefits derive from both greater ... Read more
Hi folks, I have a problem with chronically tight calf muscles, and I may have found the cause. The way that I stand. I was receiving further core instruction from my dance and Continuum teacher, Rebecca, who commented that I tend to lean forward when standing. I did a quick internal body scan and there it was, plus lots of other things. My Feldenkrais training from Karen emphasizes the importance of ... Read more
Shoulder flexibility is critical for the avoidance of shoulder injury. Nothing much worse than poor shoulder flexibility, when you have to carry awkward, heavy objects. Such as pumpkins! Halloween is over. We're are settling in for winter training. I am glad to say this will include plenty of strength work during the fall. I really enjoy working with weights in the gym. Strength is a critical aspect of ... Read more
Hi folks, We live in a truly hostile environment, and we want to feel safe. The air we breathe is held on by gravity, and one good near miss by a large meteor could suck it all away. The solid ground isn't solid after all (ever been through a small earthquake?), and the so-called solid bit is floating on molten rock (not friendly stuff for organisms made largely of water). We are surrounded by and full of other ... Read more
Hi folks, One thing that I have learned from my studies of Feldenkrais over the last five years is that there are many ways to carry out any physical activity with your body, and most of these ways you'll never even know exist. We come into this world programmed to learn how to crawl, sit, stand, walk, run and complete all the many other activities needed for our prolonged survival. I suspect that we learn ... Read more
Hi folks, I have found that some of the most effective exercises are those that you can apply in daily life. This is the philosophy used by David Harp (now David Harp and Nina Smiley) in that great book, 'The Three Minute Meditator.' I still use the meditating ideas that I read there about 15 years ago. I can meditate at traffic lights, in the grocery line, and if I have the forethought, when I get ... Read more
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