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About this Video
Summary
I cover a lot in this video. In the first part I talk about walking as a dynamic state of balance rather than a series of controlled falls. It is worth the listen. The perspective I share has been eye-opening for me and it makes a ton of sense once it’s pointed out!
After talking about walking, I demonstrate the soothing shoulder opener I promised I’d show you in the last video. I learned it from one of Lawrence Lingren’s videos, which I’ve embedded below so you can learn from the creator of the exercise himself.
I then talk some more about walking and show how, by incorporating some of the new principles I’m learning, my single leg balance has dramatically improved. If you watched my third video, Sweet! My Achilles Is Improving - and More!, you might remember me briefly showing me standing on one leg. It wasn’t awful, but it was wobbly. I’ll let you judge the improvement for yourself :).
In the last ten minutes or so, I talk about a constructive idea that emerged after a meltdown I had yesterday that had to do with a frustrating experience on the healing path. The idea is a proposed nexus point for mind, body, and spirit. It has helped me see once and for all that the body is as essential as spirit when it comes to being in human form. I also expand on this idea a little more below.
To end the video, I share some thoughts on the astrology of our times. These arose spontaneously from what I was saying about the nexus point.
Hip Hike Progression
In the video, I came up with a progression series around the tall kneeling walking that I’ve been doing. Previously, I had been thinking of this exercise as a pregression for walking and running, helping me build a strong foundation for both. I still see them that way, but, in the video, I realized that they are also part of a mini-progression series, so to speak, focusing on the hip hike. That series includes:
Crawling
Tall Kneeling Walking
Standing Straight Leg Walking*
*The jury’s out right now on how much straight leg walking would be advisable. At this time, I’m thinking not much as it might train bad habits in other ways and possibly cause knee problems. Right now, it’s just a sense I have. I’ll know more, and so be able to share more thoughts on it, when I get there. For now, I’ll include them in the series but with an asterisk.
On Development as a Nexus Point for Body, Mind, and Spirit
In the video, I suggest that the human developmental process can be seen as a nexus point of body, mind, and spirit. This framing has been helpful for me as I've worked to make sense of my personal healing experiences, and I suspect I will have a lot more to say about it. For now, here are a few thoughts:
This framing helps me see that the human developmental path is also the path of the spirit's unfolding in human form. In other words, it is through this path that our spirit awakens and guides our physical (structural), biochemical, mental, and emotional maturational changes in the body and mind.
When we see things in this way, we can understand that the body's growth depends on our spirit and, at the same time, that our spirit's continued unfolding depends on the body. This means that if the body's needs are not met, whether physical, mental, or emotional, the unfolding process will be challenged.
Thus, the body matters a lot in this conception. With it, we can see that tending to all levels of being is essential for optimized well-being. I will have a lot more to say about this in future posts, but for now, I just wanted to expand a little on what I said in the video.
Mentioned in the Video
Lawrence Lingren’s Shoulder Opener Tutorial
For the record, Lingren doesn’t call his exercise a shoulder opener. That is the description I have given it. As you can see below from the title of his video, Fix Round shoulders and tight hips, it is also an exercise for the hips.
Highly Recommended Weck Videos
In my video, I talk about two video interviews with David Weck in which he talks about the mechanics of walking. His insights are revelatory - at least they were for me - and so I highly recommend watching them if you are interested in exploring walking mechanics.
In the first video linked below, Weck talks about and demonstrates the upper body mechanics of walking. The video is over 50 minutes, but he explains and demonstrates most of the walking information in the first 20-25 minutes. If you like learning about and exploring walking mechanics, the time is well worth it. In the second video, he talks about the lower body, a key piece of understanding that this video finally brought together for me.
***Video 1: David Weck Explains Walking, Balance, "Head Over Foot"
***Video 2: INSTANTLY Increase MMA Punching Power & Strength with this Rare Method | Ft. David Weck
As I integrate the insights discussed and demonstrated in these videos into my movement, I am starting to feel that the very movement of walking can significantly enhance our health and well-being. While we all know that regular walking improves cardio-vascular fitness by activating that system, what I am starting to see is that just the movement of walking itself can have powerful positive, even spiritual, effects on our well-being. I touch on this idea briefly in the second part of my video, but I expect I’ll be talking about it more in videos to come. One thing that intrigues me, and that I’m eager to explore when I get there, is if running can do the same for us.
A Gentle Reminder: On the Nature of this Content
While I am certified as a personal trainer (certified in 2011), I have never worked in the field and, other than attending a weekend workshop learning about the foundations of the Z-Health system, I have not pursued formal continuing education due to illness. Therefore, what I share in my videos and other posts about my personal journey, choices, and insights is not meant to constitute professional advice or training guidance. I am sharing my experiences purely as an individual on a personal journey.
While I will do my best to explain what I’m doing, each person is unique, and what is right for you will depend on your specific situation, so please use your best judgment if you decide to try anything I share. As needed, consult with qualified professionals - such as doctors, physical therapists, certified personal trainers currently working in the field, running coaches, nutritionists, etc. - who can work with you directly to help you reach your goals given your specific circumstances.
An Invitation to Subscribe
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Cover Image Credit
Walking Talk and The Promised Shoulder Opener