Now that you have tools, journaled a few notes about where you're starting, and have an informed mindset, we can begin! This will be so fun!
In this module we learn the poses that will link together movement patterns. We will mobilize where we have become stable and grow stronger as we link all the movements together. Painful patterns of movement will be a thing of the past as we begin our full workout built of the baseline postures and strength will be achieved through consistent workout sessions in a safe way to get and stay fit.
Move it Move it!
Have you ever struggled with the memory and application part of exercising? Like maybe you get started through some type of yoga flow and you get half way done and start making up your own moves, wiggling off your mat to check a random Youtube video, and then flop the rest of the way though what is supposed to be a workout. Or maybe you've taken a group class somewhere that you really loved, but couldn't attend all the time and you wish you could remember the basics to keep up with your practice at home?
My biggest motivator for this course was that it needed to be CONVENIENT in every sense. I had to be able to do the workout ANYWHERE, ANYTIME, with ANYTHING as a tool. And in order to do that to facilitate consistency, I had to be able to memorize the elements of moving well, and the order of flow of the movement. It could NOT require constant searching, hovering and maneuvering a computer screen over an internet connection.
So, I took all my body working, ballet bending, barrel racing knowledge and put it in a blender of awesome to make one smooth course that ANYONE could workout along to.
Why all the silly names?
In the course, you will notice that to identify each pose, posture or movement I have given it a funny name. The main reason for this is so we can remember characteristics of the move we are supposed to be embodying (pun intended), but also to help us remember the order to connect the movements. The names are personal to us barrel racers, and I think things are easier to recall when we are familiar with them.
I have danced my whole life and practiced all different kinds of exercise disciplines along the way. One of the most frustrating things I noticed, in taking hundreds of classes, is that people would be trying their hardest, but would get lost at the names of the movements or steps. So in an effort to help us learn principles over positions, and help the positions progress into something, we practice what we need to be able to A. understand them and B. memorize them.
For instance if I said you need to lift your knees higher in the pas-de-chat you would think I'm speaking French ... I am; it means step of the cat. And then you would go on wondering why were we moving like a cat - meanwhile I lost the moment to influence what I was really trying to teach you, which was to spring from the ground, upwards. Or if I said you needed to work on your dirga pranayama more in your chatarunga you would wonder if I was choking on a cookie....when really I was just in yoga class.
The point is that I don't believe movement should be chained to a specific discipline, when it is the principles and healthy movement patterns we are after. I'm not going to risk losing a students interest or confidence just because they are unfamiliar with the terminology. So that is why I've related all these movements from proprioceptive concepts and health biomechanics to names and phrases we can remember in a story. Nothing more awkward than worrying about if your cat choked on his cookie in yoga class...
Remember if you get lost or confused at any point just hit the red chat bar in the margin and I can help you! But I'm confident that anyone will be able to make it through this course well!
As you learn and grow into this program try to be aware of the principles of movement first, and then the names of the moves, and then the order. By being aware of the principles of movement you are A. engraining it into your muscle memory and B. making a decision to safely train your body. If you don't get it right the first time, always go back to your breath. If you do get along pretty well, don't forsake your principles but add resistance, more balance opportunities or weights.
In these next modules you can watch the video first of each individual movement. Each movement will have a text description. In addition, there will be a 'do' and 'do-not' tip and picture for common pitfalls in the posture. Each posture and position will show what the ideal frame should look like, and then the function that it has in barrel racing. Then at the end of the module there will be a video of how to string together all these movements into a Winning WarmUP. In some of the poses I will talk about the importance of anatomy too, since it plays a big role in awareness of what is happening in our body. Let's go!
Your printable PDF of ALL the movements we will focus on! Hang them up wherever you workout, and as we go through the course they will be a great reminder of the routine.