Tai chi and Juggling

So recently my training has lead me towards lots of stretching, i have not been traing very much with set aside times for it i have just been doing little bits throughout the day mostly strecthes. This has been invaliable to my training so far i have inreased my range and flexiblility a hell of a lot it is starting to become noticible in my form.

In my juggling/manipulation practise i have been working on contact juggling, the main area i have been working with is my head a balance on the crown of my head and on the temples and forhead (which later will lead to rolls from point to point).

I have found there is a few points on the top of the head where a ball could be balanced, one is more forward towards forhead and one is further back towards crown, the one on or near crown is the one i have been really training even though it is a harder balance to acheive, the reason is i want to keep my manipulation particularly contact juggling in line with tai chi principles as a experiment to see if the Principles of tai chi as taken from the classics will be a useful model to learn various manipulation (juggling arts) and from there use that model in my own teaching.

Also as a side line to the above points i would like to eventually acheive a balance on the top of my head with a 100mm acrylic ball all the way through my tai chi form (or as much of is as possible bearing in mind Snake creeps and Low punch)

TAi chi

So a few posts earlier i was talking about the satorius muscle and how we focused on that muscle in a tai chi class.

So i have noticed now that that muscle is used a huge amount during the form, everytime there is a turning into either hip or a exspasion out of then it is this muscle which is stretching (all others too). to be fair all muscles are used etc.. i am just noticing this one alot more right now and how it behaves in the form and push hands

This is also directily asocciated with the spiraling force that is "rooted in the feet, strenghtend at the thighs, guided by the wasit and expresed at the fingertips"

Juggling

Juggling Through your working day will help your health and improve you productivity.

One of the services I offer is to run workshops in office enviroments teaching manipulation skills as a way to relax and improve concentration and productivity.

1. Juggling ehances concentration. 5mins of juggling will have the effect of a hour of increased concentration

2. Manipulation skills including Poi can reduce stress

3. Manipulation skills will improve co-ordination

4. Gentle excersise such as juggling poi can help to reduce back strain* often accosiated with desk work.

there are many examples of people finding this on the internet, the only real way to test these are for you to do it yourself.

*It is important to realise that some of the reason for this is the fact that in order to juggle etc.. you will have to leave you desk! secondly it helps to have a juggling coach with understanding of posture so to reinforce positive posture through adjustment over time.


Juggling as been found to increase the size of adult brains

"German scientists took brain scans of people who had spent three months learning to juggle three balls for 60 seconds.
At the end of three months, the amount of brain tissue had increased in areas of the brain involved in processing and
storage of complex visual motion.
After three months without juggling, the expansion had decreased. The scientists, writing in the latest issue of Nature, say more studies are needed to figure out what aspect of the brain tissue actually increased. Existing brain cells may have enlarged,
or new cells may have been born.
Either way, the researchers write, the study challenges the assumption that the structure of the adult brain can’t change"

Leathers

i just won an acution on ebay for a set of race leathers! woo hoo

will conferm they are as good as i hope in due course.

The weekend

So over the weekend i went to a wedding (civil partnership) of two very good freinds of mine, i spent rather a large amount of money over the course of 12 hours! had to be taken home by my amazing girlfreind.

Here in the photo you can see myself and a very good freind of mine enagageing in what we like to call "organic Dance"



Sunday i made tuna steaks for dinner mmmmmm they were delicious i marinated them in lime juice and olive oil with dill, had them with new potatoes and salad with salsa verde.

any tips on what herbs goes with what appreciated its something i want to learn more about.

here is a photo of the steaks before cooking

they were delicious i wanted to eat them raw really mmmmmmm!

back to work now minus my facial hair which started to annoy me!

Friday

I am tired now! been at work all day been productive got alot done!

I am teaching am Teaching in an hour. I suppose this is a good time to go into what i do...

I work here www.firetoys.co.uk I manage the production and research and development of the products we manafacture.

I also teach circus, I used to do alot more teaching, I got a job at firetoys and stopped teaching so much.

my plans for the next year is to develop my business www.willthejuggler.co.uk and start teaching more.

I spend a fair amount of time at festivals during the summer working with firetoys stall, which is extremely good fun! here is me in front of the main stage at Big Chill 06 with toys.

here is another photo this is my very good friend Spam co-cospiritor on the firegathering a small festival we at firetoys run in May. and sales manager of firetoys, at Bestival 06

there is more to tell just not now as i have acheing shoulders and would like to go stretch!

tai chi

First class back last night, it was very informative!

we looked at the hip joint and the muscle that connects from the knee to the hip

which by the look of this picture the one i was focusing on is called the satorius.

we were looking at coming into a forward stance and how that muslce streches across and lenghtens and how all those muscles in the leg the vastus muscles all spiral around. The main point to this excersise was to keep the knee still when in place.

So My teacher adjusted my posture so my hip was fully sitting into the hip joint and relaxed around that hip, this meant my rear leg was not in a very good position at all so lots more strecthing needed to loosen and open up the hips so i can achieve that while mataining root and connection with the back foot.

i have to say that it was one of those moments when i had been feeling like i had made some progress then look up ahead and see the mountain and realize i am not even at base camp!

so lots more standing needed!

and stretching i am soon going to start with a yoga teacher to help with my stretching.