Showing posts with label Expression. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Expression. Show all posts

Friday, November 11, 2022

Is There Poetry In Animal Movement Training?

In poetry, we tend to not just come up with words that go together in a meaningful setting but also make the reader feel an emotional connection to those words especially if it's about love, despair or even something mysterious. Granted some poetry is just plain awful (if you ever watched Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy you know what I mean) but in the midst of that, we want to find meaning and how we interpret it.

Exercise in some form is like poetry but in a physical setting. We let our bodies take shape of the words, we express ourselves through things like dance, bodybuilding, intense training for a sport, a combination of flows and patterns and other things. We format a poem using gestures, twists, turns, facial expressions and movements that express our passions, our anger, our will and our strengths. We also at times show our vulnerability without even knowing it. We show that we aren't always perfect and showcase our imperfections.

In the idea of movement such as MovNat, Ginastica Natural, Animal Flow, Vahva Movement Training and Parkour, it is a form of physical poetry where we take the shape of bringing together forms of exercise that can be unbelievable to witness. From leaping from building to building, making switches from one move to another in the blink of an eye or using a natural setting of utilizing our ancestral attributes, movement style training is not just about being fit with the body but fit in mind and emotion. 

One of the important things to understand about Animal Movement Training is not always how "accurate" the movement is compared to an animal in the wild but to get a sense of how we tribute to that animal with the best of intentions. Some movement patterns are modeled after let's say primates like Gorillas, Chimps and so on but we know in reality that we can't develop the same type of strength or exact structure of that animal yet we utilize movements that are in tribute to their way of moving. We move around Monkey Bars, we do pullups, we climb trees, we mimic characters like Tarzan. Now wild primates don't actually go up and down in a sequence like Pull-ups, they mainly climb, swing through vines and either walk or run on all fours on their palms or inner knuckles. 

It is a form of poetry, a sign of expression and a connection to the written word but with the quality of our physical being. Poetry makes us laugh, cry, think, get angry or be happy at and other things. Movement is essentially the same thing, it makes us express ourselves and showcasing our emotions. You're probably thinking "how in the hell is doing a bear crawl express emotion or does walking like a duck have anything to do with anger or anything poetic" well, both these movements can show our strengths and weaknesses physically and mentally but the way we do them can show signs of anger or smooth relaxation. If you're stiff and anxious, that'll show in your movement, if you're relaxed, calm and in tuned that'll show as well. It shows if you're being analytical or robotic and it can show how you're flowing with effortlessness while being in a state of gentleness but passionate. Just like poetry.




I'm not the most graceful guy nor am I the perfect specimen when it comes to training but that's not the point. I show my passion in my demos and when it comes to flow training, yes it's not pretty looking compared to someone like Eero Westerberg or Mike Fitch but I do what I love and it may not be poetry in the eyes of others but it's poetic for me and I express it with the best of intentions. Nobody's perfect and we all express ourselves in unique ways but that also should tell you that it's awesome to continue to improve and master yourself. 

Be free to move and show what you're capable of and keep improving. Make mistakes, practice things you normally don't do and have fun with mastering yourself. You may not have great days and we won't always be peachy and smile like the Joker but we can learn how to make ourselves better little by little and if exercise is a part of that, so be it. Be amazingly awesome. 

Friday, August 29, 2014

The Feeling Of Electrical Expression


    As a human being one of the things of our very nature is being able to express ourselves. As little kids we pretend while we play and have vivid imaginations and we feel like we can take the world by storm. As teenagers we get into the latest fads and express our likes for certain music, the way we dress, doesn't matter if you're popular in school or not it's all about what you come as when you feel the need to show what you like to be or who you want to be, it's like Halloween but not as expressive (or maybe it is). When we grow into adults, our feeling to express ourselves tend to drop because we have to look a certain way for people, we shy away from who we want to express ourselves as because of a certain job or our families because we aren't a kid anymore or try impress our boss so we can get a promotion. We completely lose track of who we are and having the freedom to be expressive and letting out another piece of us.

 

    I quite frankly don't give a shit in most ways how to express myself, I love who I'am and if anybody gives me crap than you're going to get it back. To truly express yourself is to feel it from within, have a powerful electrical feeling to show who you really are. I'm still practicing this because for a long time around certain people I've had to hide myself from who I truly am because certain people I know can't take it and will feel "embarrassed" to be around me. Your energy is what gives off that power, if you learn to harness it and balance it out for you, you can show your true self to people and although it's not always easy (trust me I know what I'm talking about) it's very exhilarating to show the real you to anyone. You must be comfortable with who you are first otherwise you're pretending to be someone you're not. And also what is the point of helping others if you can't help yourself in the first place? Some people feel the need to take care of others and/or help them which is awesome in its own way but if you don't take care of you what is it really worth? Be open with who you are (almost makes me sound like a hypocrite but you know what I'm learning) and throw your energy out with passion, love and the desire to unlock your true personality because there are shy people with massive expression when they let it out but there are other people who are very expressive but try to be someone else when they ought to open up who you are.

 

    The way you train no matter what it is can show a certain aspect of your personality because even though you may not realize it but the way you handle a lift or the way you hold a posture even when throw the dumbbells around has an effect on the way you bring yourself out. Let it me put it this way for those playing the home game; some people are compressed, shy and awkward but if you worked out with them you may see a complete change in their expression, their energy and the way they just blast out. There are also people who look strong as hell but can't do a damn thing in a workout. How you handle yourself in your training is not how impressive you're trying to be but how you make yourself better when you do the things that give you the best results. Your imagination and the way you think can have a profound effect on your training as well because if you just think that you need to do this or that or even just move without any emotional content you will be dull and that part of your personality is dull. If you learn to open your mind, use your imagination and bring it out to the world, your body language changes, you have greater energy and your results will speak for themselves. Release that emotional power and feel the electric shock that will be your expressive nature.

 

    Do what feels right to you, you are not perfect and you shouldn't have to do what works for other people. Believe me I've been used to an extent that even though I'm a strong guy that I ought to help everyone even those that have an agenda (which some of them do). I help when I have a reason to, not because somebody ordered me and decided that my life is only convenient towards their needs. Helping others is a wonderful thing yet people can take advantage of that and suck your energy because they think they have the right to do so. It's not easy saying no to people, especially if they're blood related but you take what gives you a reason to be helpful. Express yourself when you help someone, hold onto who you are otherwise there will be assholes walking over or stepping on you. It is great to help those in need I love to do it because there are certain things I can do that not others can but it's not fun to help when the person you're helping has an agenda and just use you when it's convenient for them. You are a wonderful human being who has the right to express themselves that is positive and productive. It's not fun when you express yourself in a negative way, that's giving in and letting the thing that makes you feel that way win when you have the power to overthrow that and channel your energy in another matter.

 

Build yourself up from scratch, it's like being an architect; you create your own little plans for what you want to be, create a foundation, find where you want to put the strongest pieces that'll hold yourself together, be creative in the artwork, decorate the living space in your imagination, build the strongest roof that will keep you safe. Being expressive is what comes out of those plans and what it says about you and your personality. Jump, laugh, love and share who you are because there are people out there who would love to be in your life and those that aren't and don't want to don't deserve it so find those who have similar interests, things you can talk about and being yourself because the right people won't give a shit because they care about who you are and not who they want you to be, trust me I've dealt with it my whole life and I'm tired of compressing my true self when I have a right to bring myself out and so should you.

 

Have a great weekend everyone, have fun be safe and most importantly be awesome and yourself.

 


 


 

    

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