The Photo:
It was in the high 60's this morning with a pleasant breeze from the W S/W. Low tide was at 5:45 with the next high tide at 11:37. Sunrise is getting earlier by about a minute per day. Today's sunrise was at 7:08.
There was plenty of hard pack sand to practice on.
The Practice:
I'm primarily working on WHEN and WHERE I practice. I'm also distilling WHAT and HOW I practice. I've also been working on my unconscious competency. I'm becoming more aware of and skilled at 'getting out of the way', becoming the observer.
"The mind directs
The body follows"
Things that I'm working on:
1. WHEN: As the sun is rising is the best time IMHO (earlier in the day the better)
2. WHERE: For me at the shore is best. But any beautiful natural setting that resonates with you may be best for you.
3. WHAT:
a. The Ten +
b. Standing Meditation (Wuji and Tai Chi)
c. T'ai Chi Ch'uan
d. Standing Meditation & Qigong
4. HOW: This changes with the day, my needs, injuries, time and study. I do tend to work on similar things most every session such as relaxed balance on either leg.
This morning I was focused on distinguishing between the belly of the muscle (red tissue) and the connective tissue (white tissue) and fascia. This is a common theme for me but sometimes I really work on the principle by increasing my awareness of the connective tissue throughout the session. It was a very productive practice, even though it's been a super busy week.
"Hang the muscles,
Open the joints."
Notes:
I saw Kelly and her dog Buddha Joseph to talk to again this morning. She expressed an interest in the training that she see's me doing in between shooting the sunrise. Part of her game with Buddha is to help her rehab from a surgery by lifting her arms above her head when she throws the water for Buddha.
My suggestion for effectively raising your arms above your head is to keep you shoulders down and attempt to use the deltoid to lift the arms as opposed to the trapezius, feeling a slight stretch from the arm pit to the hips.
