Scattered mental energy is in evidence here, I know.

[flexagon]

• I keep thinking of different ways that various things in my life fit perfectly into my energy quiz results. For instance, the whole minimalism thing. Paring down possessions this year took physical and emotional energy, which I generally have, and has resulted in my stuff taking up way less mental energy (which I often don't have). So, put in those terms, no wonder it worked for me. I may still do more of it.



• I replaced a worn-out plastic pig keyring with this pewter frog keyring this morning. WAY BETTER.



• I dreamed that my first lover was actually also my fraternal twin, and we'd been separated at birth.



• Recently I've read in several places about "bucket lists". I don't like them... it feels like the focus is on entirely the wrong thing. I want lists of things to do while alive, not "before I kick the bucket".



• There's a good article in Wired about the effects of stress, and on which kinds of stress are the worst for you. It says, among other things, "the most dangerous kinds of stress don’t feel that stressful. It’s not the late night at the office that’s going to kill us; it’s the feeling that nothing can be done." But this is individual too -- what happens when one person feels like a job affords them plenty of control, but another who has the same job feels stifled?



• bluechromis pointed out that I'm not working on my press handstand as much as I should be, given my current annoyance about not being able to do it. It's true. So I'm doing more stuff... part of what I did is order some books containing handstand drills from here. Isn't that just like me? I always think that anything is possible if and only if I have the right books, even though in this case part of me thinks I will never do a press handstand.

Comments

[nevers.livejournal.com]

interesting, that tells me that there's something off with your technique. have you done presses with a person spotting you, and gotten feedback on your technique?

this weird thing just happened where i was picturing myself spotting you on a press when you are in nyc later this year and i immediately had an image of what you are doing wrong. i could be totally wrong but i think you are letting your shoulders sink or collapse too far forward. you want to keep your shoulder angle as open as possible from the beginning, and think of opening them more and more as you press (this action seems to start at my fingertips, which press down into the floor to prevent my shoulders from coming forward, actively pushing my shoulders back in the direction of the heels of my hands). and you want to push the floor away so that your shoulders go all the way up to touch your ears, so you're lengthening your side body as much as possible. one line of energy goes from your hands up through to your waist so that section of your body can work as a solid piece, not a piece that hinges at the shoulders. it makes sense that if you can press with the yoga lift (where your shoulders are out of the picture) and with your head touching something (where you are allowed to lean forward as much as you need to), that your shoulder use is the missing piece.

how is your shoulder flexibility? that might be holding you back. the more open your shoulders are the easier all handstand stuff is, including presses. if you're lying on your back, can you touch the backs of your hands to the floor over your head with you arms straight and your ribs down and in, no arch in your back? if not, i prescribe daily shoulder stretching.

i didn't take so long to find my balance because i did a million handstand-kick-up-balance-attempts a day in between cubicles at work, twisting out of the overbalances.