Happy Day to All,
It’s my day off and I’m going to enjoy every relaxing minute today!
I’ve got a fantastic visit planned with my good friend Sean Greeley (Net Profit Explosion) and then we are off for a much needed massage at the Encinitas Massage Center.
It is a great day to be alive!!
Proactive and Healthy!
Laird Hamilton, his wife Gabby Reese and I have been working together for almost ten years. I have enjoyed working with them both very much because they are truly interested in living optimally, and being the best example they can for others.
Laird Hamilton first came to me not because something was wrong with him, but because he didn’t want to wait until something was wrong to have to improve what he could improve now!
That my friends, exemplifies why Laird Hamilton is “Laird Hamilton”, considered by many to be the surfing legend of our times. In just a few minutes on his website: https://lairdhamilton.com, you can get a sense of the power and sheer presence of this incredible athlete (there are also many amazing video clips of him surfing on the web!)
When Laird first arrived, he and I were sitting outside while he was filling out some paperwork for me. I sat down on my wooden deck bench and felt a presence next to me. I turned my head and saw this beautiful rattlesnake sound asleep.
Laird and I had been talking for several minutes and this rattler didn’t even flinch. Even when we came to look and take a photo, it stayed sound asleep. It was a real treat for us to be in such good company!
In this video clip, you can drop in on Laird as I teach him some techniques for mobilizing his spine with a 4-inch ethafoam roller.
Learning to use a foam roller to mobilize your own spine can be very helpful for your spinal health.
Due to a number of factors, such as organ-muscle reflexes, past and current injuries, ergonomic stress, work and sports specific use patterns, and some illnesses, our spines can become rigid in key areas, and too loose in others, leading to dysfunction and pain.
When we spend time working on a foam roller, we are consciously making changes in our bodies, which are recorded by our central nervous system. This active body-mind interaction process results in immediate application of newly found range of motion and improved muscle recruitment patterns.
Using the foam roller is different than what happens in passive therapies. For example, if you have limited cervical rotation, you can see someone for joint manipulation. The manipulation is performed with you relaxing, while letting someone else induce that mechanical change.
If the newly gained range of motion (ROM) isn’t utilized right away, the motor system will typically resort back to prior programming. This usually results in the same pattern of joint restriction reoccurring.
In this video, I’m teaching Laird how to use the roller to consciously induce biomechanical changes, which are immediately applied in his daily training program.
Each step of the way as Laird improves spinal and bodily function, he learns how his movement and performance changes and consciously chooses to keep using the new ROM. This leads to greatly improved body-mind awareness in any individual, but is extremely important to elite athletes like Laird.
For those of you interested in learning more of the spine mobilization, comprehensive stretching instruction, and neuromuscular reeducation methods I use, see my book titled, The Golf Biomechanic’s Manual.
Here you can see me teaching Laird the lunge stretch for releasing your hip flexors. This one comes right out of my book, How To Eat, Move and Be Healthy!
In my book, I show you how to perform 20 stretch tests to determine which stretches will balance your body, and I give specific instruction on how to perform each stretch, with illustrations.
Be like Laird and take action before you are in pain!
Toning
Toning is an ancient spiritual practice performed by singing or expressing a given tone, such as the different tones of the standard tone scale; Do, Re, Mi…
Each of our body tissues, such as muscles, glands and organs have a resonant frequency. When we practice toning, we can find the frequency of any body part and harmonize our voice and energy with it.
Once harmonized, we can convey healing energy and our intention to that region. This induces conscious order into regions of relative chaos in our body-mind construct, which can rapidly speed healing, harmonize the body-mind, boost immune function, balance hormones, and much more.
Kim Nelli (https://www.getfitforbirth.com/) recently spent a day consulting with me. I worked with her through toning at various points of our day together. She really opened up her throat and integrated parts of her being. Later when she returned home she introduced the joy of toning with her children.
Here is what she shared with me in an email that came with the above photo:
Dear Paul,
I just wanted to share last night before bed the kids and I were toning I LOVE YOU, and it was amazing! We actually harmonized a few times, and my son felt it right away – he loved it! We all loved i! We laughed and they kept asking to tone again – so we did it for 10 minutes and Kaden asked to share it with grandma and grandpa. The best part was, for the first time in 5 years we all slept through the night! We now have a new bedtime and wake up ritual.
Thank you,
Kim
This weekend, try something new for yourself, for your family, for your health, for your joy!
Eat some different foods.
Try eating with your other hand!
Explore some drawing, or go for a walk and walk backwards, sideways, with turns and twists, and dance in the street!
I’ll see you there!
Have a great weekend!
Love and chi,
Paul Chek
