Do you Flow or do you NO?

I’ve been asked many times what one needs to do to be a fluid mover. In response, I often ask, “Well, what is fluidity to you?” Some think of improvisation. Most say seamless, never stopping motion. Almost no one says “control over weight-transfer,” though this is a major element of flow. Movement can be dynamic, have pauses, and even staccato elements but still be "in flow" -- it’s how you change between elements. Definition aside, fluidity is mostly determined by 1) experience, and 2) what is or isn’t going on in your head.  

WHAT STOPS US FROM FLOWING?

• Lack of familiarity with the movements/rhythms/goal

• Lack of comfort/confidence

• Mental disposition/personality

• Results rather than process oriented mindset

• Negative, questioning self-talk, fear

• Anything that you allow to stop yourself

For many people, the very process of "tuning in" turns up the volume of the voice of resistance. The voice of resistance? It’s not a political movement, it’s the "nah-ah" voice in your head. If you are asked to pay attention to your sensations either in stillness or in movement and then have a little internal dialogue of“I don’t like this,"  “I don’t know what to do,” or “I look stupid,” then you are dealing with resistance. It may show up as self-doubt, self-judgment, or a straight-up NO/Negative-Nancy attitude.

Resistance may also appear as bodily tension, restrained breath, wandering thoughts (such as “I need to respond to that email”), and even fatigue. For some, being asked to take time to quiet their mind and focus on their breath makes their heart race -- they become tense as they think of every possible reason they need to leave the room.

Being present in your body (i.e., your life) can quickly reveal anxiety, which is ultimately a fear of uncertainty, or a fear of losing something that has been held onto.

Reality Check: 

We all will experience negative internal dialogue while moving -- some less than others -- but it happens. While it is easy to look at a proficient mover and assume they never have self-doubt, this is not true at all. The trained "flow-er" knows how to turn negative thoughts into a breath so deep that the thought can no longer be heard. Remember, proficiency requires practice. A great mover will still be a beginner when doing something new. New situations inherently create uneasiness; it’s how you handle it that matters.

Stress and anxiety happen when you anticipate a negative outcome, like this puppy below, scared at first to go down a set of stairs:

Anxiety and flowing do not mesh. 

When you fully commit your attention to your movement session, there is no such thing as a negative outcome. You will learn something about yourself 100% of the time. If you are scared of learning something you don’t like, the beautiful thing is we can’t change it until we are aware of it. Remember, if you feel on the verge of a breakdown, you are also on the verge of a breakthrough.

Look at this little flow master, no anxiety here:

The above blog is an excerpt from the forthcoming Floor Flow® Level 1 Teacher Training manual.  The trainings launch this June in the United States, with international dates pending.  More info HERE.

The Sit-to-Stand Challange

The sit-to-stand test received a lot of publicity in 2014. If you missed it, a Brazilian Study found that the ability to get off the floor without hands was a major predictor of longevity (as in, your life will probably be shorter if you struggle to get off the floor.)

Luckily, it's becoming common knowledge that if we sit (or remain in one position) for hours on end each day, our muscular system stops working for us the way it should. Here's the thing: difficulties in getting up from the floor or even a chair are not limited to older populations; it's a young people problem too, and that's scary. 

Do you ever catch yourself placing a hand on your thigh to get off the floor? Do you use the armrests of your chair to stand? Do you sit by falling, and rise with a heave-ho? If you answered yes (recent injuries aside), you are not using your musculoskeletal system optimally. 

Here is a video of a young woman performing the traditional test:

Now here is the fun part:

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The Flow Movement® Sit-to-Stand Challenge!

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First, find a song you love. Then lay down, flat on your back.  Slowly come to stand without using your hands or knees on the floor. After you stand, find your way back down with total control, still without your arms. You can move them in space, but you cannot use them to push off the floor or place them your own body to rise. Find as many ways as possible to do this challenge. Gradually, increase your speed to make things interesting…but NO HANDS. 

Post an an edited video on Instagram (you have 60 seconds now for videos, so no holding back!) or Facebook of your favorite ‘get up with no hands and no knees’  flow for a chance to win a free bundle of Flow Movement® videos.  Make sure to tag both #flowmovement and #fmsit2stand so we see your video.  We'll pick a winner for May on May 31, 2016.

Here are two of my favorite no hands ways to get up:

"MOVE YOUR DNA"

Have you ever read a book wide-eyed, nodding, pacing and grunting in agreement? "Move Your DNA" by Katy Bowman was one of the books for me—I felt its contents in my bones and immediately knew it would greatly influence my movement and training philosophy.

I read Move Your DNA for the first time in Sweden. It was winter, but there I was, in front of an old church, squatting, reading, standing on one leg, re-reading, inhaling the information contained within. When people ask me where they can learn more about biomechanics, or principles of human movement, I tell them to read this first. If you want to live well read it. If you have pain, recurrent injuries, read it. If you have sore feet at the end of the day, read it.

You can purchase your copy HERE.

Training at Luna Salada Hotel de Sal

When you are in remote Bolivia, you either eat, spend time on the salt, or work it out in the hotel bar. I did lots of each....here are some moments form my training in the only room with a wood floor in an otherwise completely salt-made hotel.

Filmed at Luna Salada Hotel de Sal.

Wake Up Your Back in Under Three Minutes

In this excerpt from a rooftop movement session, Marlo leads a quick sequence to wake up your back musculature. Try these moves to enliven your posture and prepare for deeper stretching.  If you have more that three minutes, great! Extend this sequence by performing more repetitions of each exercise -- try each movement for 30 seconds to one minute for even more Flowbility benefits.

In this excerpt from a rooftop movement session, Marlo leads a quick sequence to wake up your back musculature. Try these moves to enliven your posture and prepare for deeper stretching. If you have more that three minutes, great!

Continuous Shoulder Pivots

Overhead view of continuous shoulder pivots. This technique is seen in contemporary dance and martial arts under a few different names. I love this movement because the head, arms, pelvis, legs and breath all play a constantly dynamic role. When one body part lags, the fluidity is lost.