Five Minute Miracle

[byork]

I began the program on January 8th. I am almost to week five. Yahoo! I'm going to reward myself by going for a massage when I get to week six. The big reward is the accomplishment of having made it that far, but treats are nice


For the full floor exercise, I break it into three parts. I breathe out as I lift my legs. This is becoming very easy. I know I have gained a lot of strength as this WAS NOT easy when I began the program a month ago. I am still working on bring my legs further back each time.

Then I breathe out and lift my trunk --- attempting to sit up. I probably do that about 8 times, each time attempting to near the point of sitting up.

I then roll to the side, sit up and continue with the third part of the exercise. From sitting, I breathe out as I move forward bringing my trunk to my legs.


I don't know when I will get my legs to go back to the floor behind my head. I'm thinking that all this will shift as I loose weight.

At first I could not sit up at all from the floor at all. Now when I attempt to sit up from the floor it doesn't work very well and I have to bump hard to sit up. I am assuming it would be better to wait until my core is stronger and make another attempt in a week? Seems that I should be doing it smoothly and that a jerk to get myself up is not desirable.

My previous conditioning says to go for the end result --- the full floor exercise --- ASAP my brain was screaming at me DO IT NOW. This whole exercise is now a kind of meditation. I am meditating on how my body works.

I do all this in a slow and controlled manner. Just slow enough to allow my attention on the movement, alignment, and breathing.


Bonnie

[Steven Barnes]

Slow and controlled, sweetie. No thumping. You are working on the connection. Find it in walking, as well--and start going for nice, brisk walks every day, exhaling on the step, turning the entire thing into a "Be Breathed" exercise. Smooth, smooth, smooth. Your brain is screaming advice that can get you hurt.

Steve

[byork]

I had an emotionally traumatic phone call yesterday. It felt like I'd had my legs knocked out from under me.

This morning I got up, did my exercises. I had some odd pain in my lower back especially in any sideways movement, so I took it easy and did not move forward through the pain.

In a very non-specific way I was not feeling very well, so I laid back down for an hour. When I put my left leg to the floor I buckled and nearly went full down.

As soon as I could get in this morning I got to the chiropractor. The problem is with L5 and he says I'm on the edge of a VERY serious back injury. So.... no exercise until further notice. Then he'll put me on a walking program so I don't stress the lower back.

I'll be icing my lower back 5 minutes on, 5 minutes off several times today. Also, as I sit here at the computer I have rolled up a towel tight to support the low back curvature.

I will continue to prepare myself for The Path workshop in Portland. That is just two months away. Lots of internal work to do.


If it wasn't for what I have been doing already to support my physical health I would be buckling under the emotional weight of what my life is offering up at this time. With time, the body will heal. The harder part is the emotional and I have a pretty direct link from emotional trauma to trauma expressing physically in my body.

[Steven Barnes]

You have started to learn how to breathe. The breathing you learn in the 5MM can be done sitting or standing--just concentrate on the exhalation phase. It will help you deal with the stress. There is no reason to allow an injury to stop your forward progress, just work within what your body gives you. You can walk doing the breathing as well.

Steve

[byork]

Thank you,Steve.

I'm really pleased with the effects of the breathing. A few years ago a doctor brought up the A word (asthma). No one else had ever asked about that before.

I most likely had asthma as a child and no one knew I had trouble getting enough oxygen.

Concentrating on the exhalation has greatly increased my ability to get enough oxygen as my lungs now fill without me "working" at it.

I am so happy to be exercising my lungs and along with that, my body core. And I've been busily working that at any time I think about it.