Besides aikido and judo, one activity I do for myself is yoga. I've been doing this for about 8 years and am still such a noob. Or another way to put it is, I am always finding something newly challenging in my practice. There... That sounds much more yogi-ish ;-)
.
These days the thing that always surprises me is standing wide-legged forward bend with twist. Try it - put your feet about 2-3 hip widths apart with legs straight-ish. Bend forward at the hips, trying to keep length in the front of the body and back straight-ish. Now put one hand on the ground and reach the other arm toward the ceiling, creating a twist in the torso. Now, try that and keep breathing. Now try it and breathe and stop counting seconds. Challenging.
.
I find that the physical practice of yoga helps remediate the dings and bumps I get doing aikido and judo, and it also helps me to relax and breathe and move during judo newaza much better. I recommend trying it if you haven't. The following is one of my favorite DVD instructionals. Check it out...
____________
Patrick Parker is a Christian, husband, father, martial arts teacher, Program Director for a Cardiac Rehab, and a Ph.D. Contact: mokurendojo@gmail.com or phone 601.248.7282
____________
____________
Subscribe now for free updates from the Mokuren Dojo blog
