My favourite ‘recovery day companions’ – Yogatuneup balls. I bought them together with the Roll Model book by Jill Miller. They are used to (self-)release myofascial trigger points using your bodyweight and gentle movement, combined with a wall, doorway or the floor. Much more comfortable, and in my experience, more effective! than using a tennis… Read More Balls of Recovery
Yesterday morning, our water supply had been cut off unexpectedly. There were engineering works further down the street. Water pressure was back up after an hour. Not long at all. Long enough to make me think. How easy it is to be wasteful with what we imagine to be in infinite supply. How resilient are… Read More No Water, my Friend
We discovered a beautiful and new-to-us walking route near Stolberg this week. The circular path connects Münsterbusch and Brander Wald. It crosses through a military practice and war memorial site (hence the abandoned tanks!), meaning part of the walk is not always accessible. It is a gorgeous tour, about 7kms in length, featuring grassland, water, forget-me-nots, oaks… Read More Münsterbusch & Brander Wald
Last weekend we had our second belt test for HaiDong GumDo (Korean Sword Art) in Bedburg, Germany It was preceded by an exhilarating and fun HDGD technique and conditioning seminar by Senior Grandmaster Seung-Eun Chae. A list of the disciplines we were tested on for our 9th to 8th kup (yellow to yellow-green belt) test:… Read More HaiDong GumDo Yellow-Green Belt Test
An amazing exercise for the back and upper body is the inverted row. I’ve started doing these recently, just a few slow reps at a time using my at-home ballet barre (a sturdy table or a sturdy broom across 2 kitchen chairs would work too) and it’s been helping to open up my upper body… Read More Inverted Rows
This book is one of the best investments I’ve made in the past few years. Anatomy Trains by Thomas W. Meyers It illustrates movement patterns across our bodies beautifully, which is extremely helpful for spotting and re-balancing postural and movement imbalances. I heartily recommend it for students and teachers of all movement arts. What about you?… Read More Anatomy Trains
Reviewing my goals for the year 2019. What I have been up to, what I am doing now, and what I’ll be aiming at for the next 3 months for flexibility: Done I’ve been working with Stacey Nemour’s online flexibility courses, and it’s doing me worlds of good. You can find my post series about the… Read More Spring Recalibration – Flexibility
An update on this January’s Journaling Post: Daily Journal: I still write in this one almost daily, recording dreams, gratitude, ideas, todos and a movement log Book of good ideas: This one is full(!) so I will need to find a new one soon. For now I’m jotting down ideas in the daily journal, but I… Read More Spring Recalibration – Journaling
A review of my Goals for Life in 2019: Enjoying the moment, and (meta-alert!) enjoying that enjoyment Breathing deeply, and practising meditation Spending time in the forest, together with Mr E Reading books about nature Watching the Clouds Walk in the Sea, at least once Enjoying the views, every day Enjoying time with friends, family… Read More Spring Recalibration – Nature and Life
An update on my Dance Goals for 2019. For Ballet: Still todo – pirouette on pointes! Practise balance Clean up my technique for passé, piqué arabesque, piqué attitude, sous-sous Practise turns: soutenu, chainé, piqué (without and with pointes), pirouettes (double without pointes, single with pointes) and fouettés (without pointe) Work on strengthening my ankles and feet… Read More Spring Recalibration – Dance