What? I have a Blog. Core work and breathing 101

Here's a very long overdue update.

To be honest, I forgot all about blogger.  My son's 5th grade teacher just started a new blog posting about the kids daily learning.  It's been an amazing tool.  With that reminder, I went back and looked at this page. Sheesh, I am long overdue for a post!

I have been studying core stability pretty seriously for the last year.  So many wonderful ideas come up around this topic.  For some people, it's all about breathing, anatomy or organs.  Maybe you love chakras and you resonate with the subtle body's heart and ego.   For me it's a little bit of all of it.  I find it fascinating. I have noticed the more I can tap into this innate strength the more I can let go.  Not only let go of muscle tension patterns but also some deep emotions and old posture habit patterns.

So often we are told to suck our bellies in to "turn on" our core.  While sucking in creates tension, tension isn't always strength.

To help us connect to our core in a more beneficial way, I am including this great video from Eric Franklin. It's an easy explantion on why squeezing in isn't optimal.   Like our Pre-Yoga in Alignment Yoga this video is Pre-Pilates.  I hope you get as much benefit from it as I did.  I hope you follow along and try to breathe and feel your diapghrapm and belly move.  Feel free to leave me some comments below.  I would love to know how you feel after the video.

Franklin Method. Why you shouldn't grip your core

The study of yoga + mediation has so many different layers.  It is a unique practice for each person who studies.  I am grateful to have found these practices. 
Thank you Dr. Davidson for continuing to inspire the best in each of us.

"I think that any kind of change has to begin with ourselves, and I think most people would agree that we’re in a friggin’ mess right now in the world. And the mess has been created by us. It’s a product of greed, it’s a product of lack of compassion, it’s a product of not being able to understand our interdependence among ourselves and among the physical resources on the planet. And in order to promote more positive change I think that we need to each embody it ourselves first.” - Dr. Richard J. Davidson in the May 2013 issue of Madison magazine

great friends