This week I found myself in a pointe-shoe related conundrum. I had procrastinated on saying goodbye to my old (aka very comfortable, but sadly also overly worn) pointe shoes for just a smidge too long, leaving me with very little time for breaking in my new shoes properly before having to wear them in class.… Read More Avoiding the Void
One of the most interesting (and unexpectedly fun!) things we got to practice during this weekend’s MartialArts4Children workshop day was ‘ground work’ techniques for MMA. In other words, I survived my very first jujitsu-esque experience. I found it incredibly intriguing. Playing with gravity, using the flow of movement (or at least trying to!) and awareness… Read More Gravity and Flow
How you breathe – it changes everything. This was one of the most profound lessons we learned from our coaches at today‘s MartialArts4Children charity workshops. How you move, what (and how much!) you feel, your speed and accuracy of reaction, your mood, your flexibility, your (inner and outer) strength, all is connected to your breath. We… Read More The Power of Breath
In keeping with this week‘s theme of breath: Check out Anatomy of Breathing by Blandine Calais-Germain. A wonderfully detailed and illustrated work on the body mechanics of breathing. Goodreads Link Note: I haven‘t read it‘s follow-up book yet, but it looks equally intriguing: Anatomy of Movement Exercises Tell me your thoughts if you happen to know it!
This strap was designed and created by Stacey Nemour. I got it at the beginning of this year, and I use it mostly as a gentle reminder to stay ‘open’ in my upper body while doing work around the house and/or at the computer. At times I wear the strap during flexibility practice as well,… Read More Posture Support Strap
Going all the way back to how I came to start writing this daily blog. The inspiration was.. movement. And inspiration itself. When I started taking Martial Arts classes a few years ago, the movement discoveries there inspired me to go deeper in ballet, which in turn motivated me to renew my bellydance practise, as… Read More Inspiration
Back to the roots! A few muddy impressions from this weekend‘s family walk in the place I was born – Waterschei, Limburg, Belgium. This was one day after Mr E and I took our TKD black belt test. It was a great way to rebalance again after all the preparations of the past weeks, and… Read More Braving the Elements
I’ve been thinking about dance – and my relation with it – a lot in the past few weeks. And my conclusion at the moment is that I am happiest when I’m actually doing it – when I am moving, practising and performing – rather than contemplating what dancing really means to me. That being… Read More Enjoying the Moment
As they say in Taekwondo: Achieving your first grade black belt means you are finally ready to start your ‘real’ training. You have survived the basics. And now the actual work begins. I love that. Let’s do dis. I am looking forward already enormously to continuing our training. The lessons will go even deeper, and… Read More The Journey Begins
Working towards specific goals (like surviving our Taekwondo black belt test!) is teaching me that everything builds in layers. Growth – Gaining strength, refining motor skills, deepening understanding, increasing ranges of motion, learning a new language, gaining maturity.. it all works iteratively. We learn in layers. Bit by bit. Rock upon rock. There can be leaps,… Read More Layers of Strength