Today was one of those days when I just didn't want to get out of bed. Nothing in particular was wrong. No terrible pain in my back. No anxious dread about meetings or papers to grade. As a matter of fact I had a great day lined up, but even though I woke at 6:30 after a deep sleep, I didn't want to move. I was too busy dreaming about something. I seem to recall I was somewhere new and being questioned by someone about my art and this was very exciting. Why on earth would I want to move?
I was trying to think of what to write about today and I made a list: sit-ups, scales - all rather dreary, but my violin teacher likes to say, "Scales keep us honest," and he's been at it for 95 years. Then there are the sit-ups. They are like my little dose of castor oil. I try to do 96 every morning and most mornings I do. Not this morning when I was too busy dreaming, but most mornings. They have a very corrective effect on my fussy lower back, they get me activated and they keep that annoying little rubbery shelf which has developed on my stomach somewhat under control. I think it's all about "core strengthening." Strengthening the core protects the lower back and if done properly sit-ups can do just that. This does not mean actual sitting up in the sit ups, which will strain the back. I have been taught by my chiropractor to keep the chin up toward the ceiling with a grapefruit size space between the chin and collar bone and just raise the arms and upper body up keeping the chin toward ceiling. It is a much more subtle movement and it engages muscles up the length of the torso. Then you can do the same thing only bringing your knees up to meet your arms - chin still up with grapefruit size gap. This can be repeated then on left and then right and the whole area gets a workout with very little strain on the back. It's taken months by I see results. Do I sound like Jack LaLanne? Remember him - the Household God of Exercise?
Any way that is not what I wanted to write about, but it is a good thing. Mostly I wanted to talk about the day I had which was meeting with two relatively new friends with whom I have shared interests: Buddhism - One is studying at the Tibet House in Manhattan. The other art - of course.
I had lunch with my friend who is studying the combining of Buddhist practice and psychotherapy and we compared notes about our crazy large Irish Catholic families. For dinner I met my friend Nancy at a gallery we are checking out in Chelsea. It might be a place we can curate a show together in Manhattan. Dinner was then a brainstorming session about creating a show based around weaving and collage. Makes me think of my dream this morning. There is nothing like new friends to make you feel young and excited about projects and life. Hurrah for summer and time to work on projects.
I was trying to think of what to write about today and I made a list: sit-ups, scales - all rather dreary, but my violin teacher likes to say, "Scales keep us honest," and he's been at it for 95 years. Then there are the sit-ups. They are like my little dose of castor oil. I try to do 96 every morning and most mornings I do. Not this morning when I was too busy dreaming, but most mornings. They have a very corrective effect on my fussy lower back, they get me activated and they keep that annoying little rubbery shelf which has developed on my stomach somewhat under control. I think it's all about "core strengthening." Strengthening the core protects the lower back and if done properly sit-ups can do just that. This does not mean actual sitting up in the sit ups, which will strain the back. I have been taught by my chiropractor to keep the chin up toward the ceiling with a grapefruit size space between the chin and collar bone and just raise the arms and upper body up keeping the chin toward ceiling. It is a much more subtle movement and it engages muscles up the length of the torso. Then you can do the same thing only bringing your knees up to meet your arms - chin still up with grapefruit size gap. This can be repeated then on left and then right and the whole area gets a workout with very little strain on the back. It's taken months by I see results. Do I sound like Jack LaLanne? Remember him - the Household God of Exercise?
Any way that is not what I wanted to write about, but it is a good thing. Mostly I wanted to talk about the day I had which was meeting with two relatively new friends with whom I have shared interests: Buddhism - One is studying at the Tibet House in Manhattan. The other art - of course.
I had lunch with my friend who is studying the combining of Buddhist practice and psychotherapy and we compared notes about our crazy large Irish Catholic families. For dinner I met my friend Nancy at a gallery we are checking out in Chelsea. It might be a place we can curate a show together in Manhattan. Dinner was then a brainstorming session about creating a show based around weaving and collage. Makes me think of my dream this morning. There is nothing like new friends to make you feel young and excited about projects and life. Hurrah for summer and time to work on projects.
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