The day I almost died.....

However, I'm going to tell you a story when the line became blurred and I danced momentarily into recklessness with near devastating consequences. It's only my careful preparation and training in breath that saved me.

...Ok, so that’s quite a dramatic title, but it hopefully got your attention....

But when I think back to the details, the story I’m about to share was the closest I’ve come to death while playing in my beloved ocean; surfing.

Since getting back to the UK after my recent travels I’ve had a lot of time for reflection; comparing my life back in London to the lives of those I meet while on my adventures. I like to think I work hard and do what I do for the right reasons, but sometimes we need to check back in form time to time and make sure that’s still the case. what are the right reasons?

The past few months have been full of new experiences, exciting new chapters, new skills and so much physical and mental expansion, all down to taking a chance on something I ‘felt'. Exploring the benefits of breathing for performance and the power of calming meditation lead me to becoming a Yoga teacher, and now it’s played a part in saving my life.Day one in the Mentawi Islands, 36 hours of transit from the UK to the remote coastline of West Sumatra in Indonesia and the trip of a lifetime is under way…

HT's (Hollow Tree's) - Last night was choppy crossing the channel, sleeping in our bunks rocking from side to side in 30 degree sticky heat. I woke up feeling super tired but soon came to life as I came above deck to see a wave outside the window next to a tiny little island covered with palm trees.

It’s not long before I’m paddling around on my board and it’s magical! The waves are coming in around 5-6 ft at the beginning then soon jump up to some 7-8ft bombs while we're out there. I'm trying to act all cool amongst the boys but my heart is pumping and the rolling water under me is enough to keep me out of the action and happy to see the lads warm into it. 

I'm out for a about 2 hours and content I've not managed to get smashed on the first morning. The guide makes the call to head around the other side of the island and get out of the wind that's picked up, next stop 'Lances Left'.

We arrive to two guys coming out of the wayer with snapped boards and the waves are powerful and big, but very clean so still inviting. I'm excited and also nervous at the same time. Some of the boys make the call to stay out of the water and spectate but I'm not one to miss out on the action and needed to keep up momentum to get some waves under my belt. I just wish they were more 'my size' (around 3-4 ft) and not 8, but me and 5 others headed out anyway...

I'm hanging on the shoulder (away from the wave drop zone) and watch the sets to gauge where I can slide in and steel a ride but there's a big delay and it's seems the wave pulse has dropped off, so we creep in a bit, then a bit more, then the mother of all waves comes through! This one’s the size of a house. One of the guys got caught at the top and bailed into a free fall over the top of me, then it was my turn.

I tried to duck dive as far under as I could but there was too much water and the power was like noting I'd ever felt before.
I was in the 'washing machine' getting thrown around like a rag doll made of cotton wool.
I was under, for what felt like minutes.
I hear and feel my knee ‘pop’.
There's no one to access what happened.
I'm getting bounced hard, but stay as relaxed as I can and remember my training (thank you Laird)  “Stay calm, you have enough air".
I popped up and gasped for a breath before going straight back under.
I knew there was reef under my feet.
I was bracing myself for a coral battering.
I tried to stand up and find my feet but there was nothing.
I'd slipped down the middle of a a coral bed.
The next wave took me under again.
My lease got hooked under the reef, looped around my ankle and pulled me down; I was locked in.
I take a big breath and go under to try free myself but it's too tight.
I have to brace for another set coming at me.
My board is getting smashed everywhere and the panic has set in.
I get a break from the waves so I dive under and manage to pull the leash off my foot.
The board comes free and I'm picked up by the current pulling me across the coral table.

The boat crew have seen I'm in trouble and send some help. All I have to do now is make my way out of the reef bed. I'm pulled into the boat and the blood starts to flow, I'm cut up pretty bad. The worry with coral lacerations is that the coral can start to grow under your skin if you don't treat it and clean the wound, so the crew get to work with ice for my knee and used the old school treatment of sliced fresh limes and start to rub it in and over the cuts (yes this stung a lot). The blood turns a dark brown and the coral particles wash away and my god did it sting!

It's starts to sink in that this is only day one and I'm out of action, time to go into turbo rehab and feel very grateful for my yoga and mobility training before I came out here, as it's literally saved my life and the surf trip.

The badboy chef is incredible on the boat, he really helps me reload and kick start the recovery process with a bottomless feast on local fresh fish, rice and vegetables. I’m drinking as much hydration nectar as I can with a combo of water and fresh island coconuts, and the lads enjoy their evening quota of bintang beers. I pass out after a dose of ibuprofen and paracetamol to end a very exciting first day.

…it’s day 4 before I get the confidence to get in the water again. I’ve been going stir crazy on the boat and everyone is worried for my sanity. Not ready for surfing yet, but I throw some fins on and a snorkel and head over to the island reef to spot some sea life and move my body. The ocean literally heals me in minutes, my knee is feeling ok and there’s finally some hope my trip is not over…

The end.

Ok, so that’s obviously not the end, there’s a lot more to this story (i’ve actually done a journal for each day of the trip) but I’m sure most of you don’t want to read it all now. But if you like me to share more of these adventure stories let me know?In the mean time, my words of new found wisdom… Learn how to meditate, practice the art of breath, stay safe, have fun everyday, explore everything, live with passion and do more Yoga!. 

Aloha.

Love Richie

x 

What is mindfulness and how can mindfulness help me?

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Firstly lets understand what mindfulness means...

Mindfulness is a mental state achieved by focusing our awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting our feelings, thoughts, and physical senses.

By being fully present in this way – not forcing things or hiding from them, but actually being with them, we create space to respond in new ways to situations and make wiser choices. We may not always feel like we have full control over our lives, but with mindfulness we can work with our minds and bodies, learning how to go through this life feeling more appreciation and less anxiety.

We have battles with our mind everyday; some are easy to overcome, many can leave us drained and feeling a little lost. If you’re an athlete your mind is the biggest opponent you’ll ever come up against, so it’s important you learn to master it.

Making mindfulness a regular part of daily life requires training and practice. If you’re motivated, a fresh perspective will begin to spread over every aspect of your life. When you begin practising mindfulness, you’re embarking on a journey that will take you down an exciting path of discovery, helping you unlock your true potential.

Mindfulness practices aren’t new – they have Buddhist origins and have been around for thousands of years. You don’t need to be religious or spiritual to learn to practise mindfulness and enjoy the benefits. For decades now, scientific research has been showing how useful these therapies are for reducing stress, anxiety and depression; helping people manage a wide range of physical conditions and for our general wellbeing. So mindfulness isn’t only useful if you’re feeling stressed or have a mental health problem – it can help any of us enjoy a better quality of life, whether you’re just wanting to smile more or have a new PB in your sights.

Now, learning to understand the mind and it’s games is one part and how to practice using it’s power in our everyday life takes time and perseverance. Remember this is a journey, one step at a time we develop what works for us. It can be as simple as beginning your day with a simple acknowledgement of appreciation of everything you have in your life - to preparing for the biggest challenge of you competitive career, staring down the track in the final of 100m mens Olympics. If you don’t believe you can win and can’t FEEL it, you have already lost before the guns gone off. If you can visualise the race, embrace the powerful emotions of how it feels crossing the line and believe you can do it...how much better is that vibration! I’ve got goosebumps just thinking about it. 

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Mindset is everything. Etch that statement into your brain and never forget how powerful you can be, once you master your thoughts. Mindset should be considered the vital key that can determine your competitive success or failure, so learn to master it

Not every situation you encounter in your competitive realm will have the happiest outcome. Trying to adopt to a positive mindset in every situation you face can be tough. We need to learn to train our mind like we learn to train our bodies to be able to perform at the highest level. Positive realism is about trying to make the best of a bad situation or challenge, whilst tempering that with realistic assessment and action based on your circumstances.

For example, in a fitness environment, this usually manifests itself in athletes not listening to the bad signs when their body is in pain. Instead they ignore these feelings because they see acknowledging them as form of negativity. They continue on exercising and then wonder why they end up hurting themselves. In these types of situations, by being realistic and knowing when to back off, you may lose today’s battle, but the end result is positive. There’s nothing positive about winning today at the cost of injuring yourself for the long term.

Where do you go from here..

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How about stopping what you're doing right now, turn off your technology, find somewhere you won't be disturbed for a few minutes and get comfortable in a chair sitting upright in a relaxed position. Place your hands on your lap, palms up and take 5 deep long loud breaths in through your nose and out through the mouth. Brig your breathing back to a quiet calm state and begin counting up to 10 with each breath in 1, out 2, in 3, out 4... and so on. Focus only on counting each breath. It's ok to drift off into other thoughts, just keep bringing yourself back. Be present and ground yourself in that moment of peace.

Off you go. Let me know how you get on.

Oh - and don't forget to #respectyourtemple

Richie Norton x

For more info, and if you didn't catch the articles, check out Richie in the following links with New Balance and Mens Health

New Balance - Mindset and Performance

Mens Health - The Power of the mind in performance featuring Richie Norton

The #TempleWalk and changing the way you feel in an instant!

We’ve written a lot recently about your mind.  No one gave us a manual on how to manage our mind, and so we’re writing one for you!

There’s no doubt that when you get a handle on managing your internal computer, you will be in a much better position to control what you do and how you feel.

This insight is also about mind, but indirectly.  If you want to change the way you feel you can use any of the mind techniques detailed in our #MindPillar and if you combine them with the following ideas they will be magnified into a more intense change in state than you perhaps thought possible!

You see, the way we feel is based on what we focus on as well as our physical body postures, facial expressions, actions and the way we move.  Reflect on this for a moment and then let’s try a little excercise to illustrate the point.

I’m not sure how you’re feeling at the moment.  If you’re feeling in a bit of a funk, this will make you feel better.  If you’re feeling pretty damn good then this will make you feel awesome!  In order for it to work, any of you sceptics out there just need to lend yourself to me for a few minutes.  I’d like you to empty any thoughts of negativity associated with trying new things from your mind (if the little devils are trying to poke their way through).

Before we start set yourself up for success by focusing on the fact that you are about to learn something that is going to help you for the rest of your life.  Some people like it so much they have shared it with others, thus spreading the vibe of happiness!

It’s not a profound technique, but I firmly believe it’s quite magical.  Never forget that you have the power to dictate how you feel at any given moment.  Nobody else has the power to make you feel in a specific way - it’s all about you!  It’s your choice.  When you combine this mantra with a few healthy techniques to nudge you in the right direction you’ll begin to live a more fulfilling life on a consistent basis.

OK then, so I’m hoping that short preamble has left you open to new ideas and a willingness to experience a little more joy.  “Hang on a minute Rich.  Who wouldn’t want to experience more joy?” I hear you saying.  Well, you’d be surprised!  Many of us self sabotage our feelings of happiness.  Have you ever been feeling a bit down and some potentially good experience or feeling comes by for you to subconsciously disregard it almost as if to say “Hang on, I can’t feel good about this as I’m in a bad mood!”  Yep - we all do it, so don’t sabotage your happiness on this one.  Come with me.  I’m giving you permission to make a change 😉 

You can try this in private, and if you’re really living in the now you can try it on a crowded tube train (although you may get a few inquisitive looks, but who cares about that eh?!)  If you prefer you can start in private and then upgrade the experience to a crowded train or shopping mall.  I dare you 😉 

The key insight here is to understand that your physical body has anchored feelings associated with certain physical actions and postures throughout your life.  You may not even be aware of it, but it has.  Have a think about this.

When you are in a positive state; really excited and up for a good time how are you breathing? Are you taking shallow breaths or is your breathing rate slightly elevated and deeper than usual? When you’re up for a challenge, bunji jump, your first kiss or your birthday present from a loved one how do you move?  Is your body hunched and bent or are your shoulders back, your chin slightly lifted and your chest out?

Just close your eyes for a moment and think about the difference between how your body looks and moves when you’re sad and depressed compared to how it is when you’re unstoppable!

How do you walk when you’re up for anything?  How does it compare to how you walk when you’re disillusioned or flat?  Do you swing your arms slightly when you’re pumped and is there possibly even a slight Travolta strut in there? 😃  What does your face look like when you’re excited?  Is it wrinkled and frowning, or are you’re eyebrows lifted, you’re eyes open slightly wider and a massive grin on your chops?

So now you’ve visualised all this, I think you should be convinced of the importance of your physical body when it comes to how you are feeling in the moment.  So here’s the thing.  No matter how you feel if you try this I guarantee it will change your state.  If you try it in conjunction with some of the mind based exercised detailed above it will be magnified.  So give this a go!

Don’t just keep reading.  Let’s get it on!  Stand up, and get ready to feel AWESOME!

• Firstly let’s start with your breathing.  Start to mindfully be aware of your breathing and make it slightly quickened and deeper than your base line.
• At the same time move your posture into a positive position.  Get your shoulders back, put your chest out.  If you can, start to walk in a way you would when you feel unstoppable.
• If you like you can even imagine a flowing red cape attached at your shoulders behind you - yep, stay with me on this.  A long flowing red cape like Superman or Superwoman.  Start to walk and feel unstoppable.
• Open your eyes slightly and put a massive grin on your face.  Come on now - it won’t work unless you do all this stuff, so suspend your disbelief and start smiling!
• Swing those arms like the legend that you are and pop a little Travolta strut in there too if you like.  Keep focused on your breathing, imagine your favourite tune playing and perpetuate the sensations.
• Stay in this state for about 30 - 60 seconds (don't let that massive grin fade) and then reflect on how you are feeling.

I don’t think I need say any more on the matter.  Some people (the ones that really get into it and go for it!) speak of experiencing that pins and needles, goose bumps sensation.  You’re feeling PUMPED and you LOVE IT!

Until next time - don’t forget your “Temple Walk”, stay in the now and keep practicing.  You are becoming more powerful on a daily basis.  I have massive respect for you for trying all these techniques and your body and mind are thanking you for it. I love you for it; keep it up!

#respectyourtemple

Rich Davis

The Science of Stretching & Flexibility

Should you incorporate a regular flexibility programme?

There are various opinions on the internet around stretching.  Some say do it before activity, some after and some not at all.  We asked The Strength Temple Director, Doctor and Sports Medicine Physician, Dr Dan Roiz de Sa about it.  He has provided the following information and advice; it’s the current thinking on stretching and joint mobility from a professional, not a google warrior!  Over to you Dr Dan….

Let’s discuss the background of flexibility and why we advocate this as part of our #7Pillars approach to overall wellness.  I think it’s always good to start with a definition, so let’s begin there.

What do we mean by flexibility? It is the ability to move a joint (or group of joints) through the optimal range of movement intended for that joint (or group of joints).

Some people have an inherent flexibility that is very much more than others and are described as being hyper mobile.  This condition normally has its foundations in that person's genes. For most of the rest of us, if we lack sufficient flexibility we are hypo mobile and are unable to get a joint to have the degree of motion for which it is designed.

Joints can be limited in their range by the size and shape of the harder bony structures that make up the shape of the joint.  If this is the case there is not a lot that we can do about it on a day to day basis but what we can affect are the softer tissues and connective tissues that surround or cross these joints.

There is considerable variation in expected ranges of motion for different joints with established guidelines in the scientific and medical literature, but what we really want to know is how much flexibility is sufficient and sufficient for what? Clearly, the flexibility required by a gymnast is very different from that required by an average person to carry on with the activities and pastimes of normal daily living without undue difficulty or injury. Therefor, the question about what is an adequate range of flexibility is a relative one and we all need to consider what we need for daily living, our work, our hobbies, pastimes and exercise interests.

I’d suggest that if you find you’re pushing yourself, or modifying movement to complete certain tasks, then you could do with increasing your flexibility.  By certain tasks I mean sporting activities or simply putting your socks on in the morning.  Conversely, if you have full flexibility with a good range of movement then a flexibility maintenance regime will be in order, which draws on the old adage that if you don’t use it, you lose it!

The use of stretching techniques and programmes as a means of addressing lack of range of movement or flexibility is widely advocated for both health and fitness maintenance.  It is also integral to the design of many training programmes for rehabilitation from injury. There are many trainers, authors, coaches and athletes who advocate a stretching programme to increase range of movement. The theory being, that by incorporating this daily activity, the soft tissues, that is to say the connective tissues around a joint, will change their properties in a beneficial way.

The tissues we are talking about are those making up ligaments, joint capsules, layers of fibrous tissue (or fascia) and the tendons and muscles that move the joints.  The connective tissues really targeted by flexibility programs are these dense collagen connective tissues which have very high tensile strength and are therefore rather resistant to elongation.

The other area that flexibility work targets is the muscles that contract to move a joint and the tendon that imparts this force (from the muscle) to the bones; this can also be called the musculotendinous unit.

The many reported benefits of stretching include enhanced performance, avoidance of joint dysfunction, less muscle soreness and reduced musculotendinous unit injury and scar tissue formation.

Being a hard nosed scientist at heart I find it difficult to find good evidence for all these claims, but there is some to suggest that there might be a reduction in injury prevalence. It is certainly something I have incorporated into my daily routine and anecdotally I have noticed a world of benefit.  Bottom line is - we recommend stretching at The Strength Temple.

How does stretching work? What is it that we are trying to do when we stretch?

The answer to these questions relates to soft tissue and nervous system physiology. When we apply a stretch to tissue, we are applying a force that wants to elongate that tissue in a way that it will initially resist.  The effects of stretching can be categorised into neural (nervous system), plastic and elastic effects.

Neural: Stretch Reflex

This starts from a fancy littlestructure in our muscles called the muscle spindle, which results in a protective muscle contraction depending on the rate or magnitude of force applied. This is what your Doctor or Physio is testing when they hit your knee with that little hammer!

Neural: Inverse Stretch Reflex

Number two is the inverse stretch reflex which applies to prolonged stretching and contraction of a musculotendinous unit.  This reflex is initiated by another superb little piece of kit we have in our muscles properly known as the Golgi tendon organ.  A prolonged stretch of this structure (at least 6 if not 20 seconds) results in a dampening or reduction in nerve impulses telling a muscle to contract.  It is essentially recalibrating and resetting the nervous system response to a muscle being elongated. How amazing is that?

Neural: Nervous System Control of Pain

This is achieved via pressure sensors in the muscle which assist in pain regulation. With a prolonged stretch these last two reflexes allow relaxation of the musculotendinous unit and reduction in pain.  If you do this repeatedly then it is suggested that by inducing changes in nervous system excitability, we get an increased tolerance and an increased range of movement.

Elastic and Plastic Effects of stretching

These are benefits to the tough non-contractile elements around joints. Constant stretching will result in plastic deformation; in other words increased tissue length. When this tissue is around a joint or combination of joints that means increased range.

Conclusion

Stretching, providing you are not hyper mobile should therefore be looked at as a component of your whole body maintenance regime. It has benefits and not just for gymnasts or elite athletes. It will result in you feeling better providing it is done properly, in a controlled and logical way. There are many methods to approach flexibility work; we will discuss some of these in future insights.

Bottom line - do your stretching.  We show you how to do it safely and correctly in our #7Pillars Program - due for release end Summer 2016!

Oh, and don't forget to #respectyourtemple

Dr Dan RdS

Our Mind Technique to tap into your Limbic System and Upgrade the way you FEEL!

We wanted to give you an insight around thoughts and feelings today and we encourage you to really take this one on board as it can literally change the way you are feeling in an instant!

Thoughts create feelings.  Feelings can create actions.  Actions  create outcomes.  Outcomes create new thoughts.  Repeat.  Just ponder on that for a moment and re-read it.  It’s really important to understand.

OK, got that?  Let’s move on then and define a term we often use called "Self Talk."

Your self talk is that little voice inside your head that provides a commentary on your life.  It’s the internal verbalisation of your thoughts. Some people have quite a loud voice, others softer, but we all have it. Becoming mindful and aware of your self talk is a key element to what we will be teaching in this insight.

One way to become very aware is to notice your self talk and reflect on how useful it is to you. People often describe a sensation of almost listening to yourself talking.

If you picture what this “looks like” in the theatre of your mind, it could be the “enlightened and higher you” sitting on a magic carpet watching and listening to everything your mind is doing. You are entirely detached from everything and able to observe and commentate if necessary on what’s happening.

Think about this for a moment.  Can you picture this process happening?  If you can’t , re-read what we’re saying so you completely understand it and then try again.  This is one of the most important steps to becoming mindful and for some is a revelation!

I like to picture myself looking in a state of complete relaxation, peace and calm on my magic carpet.  I’m sitting there cross legged in a beautiful blue sky, deep in the recesses of my psyche, looking very Zen!

So back to your self talk.  Whilst sitting on your magic carpet, observing your thoughts and feelings, if you catch your self talk and thoughts becoming destructive or negative, pause for a moment.  If they are positive reflect on that too.

If you’d prefer that they were positive and you recognise negative self talk happening, simply acknowledge it and say something to yourself like “oh - there I go again” and then allow the thoughts and discussion to change to something more empowering.

Have you ever experienced a time when you’ve chastised yourself using your internal dialogue / self talk?  As you become more mindful you may see this happening frequently and it’s one of the keys to changing how you are feeling.

So all of these thoughts tap into the emotional side of your brain and trigger the neurons associated with feelings.  Feelings are produced by the firing of specific sets of nerve clusters in the Amygdala which is part of the Limbic system in your brain.

The Limbic system is fascinating.  I got the following definition from Google:

LIMBIC SYSTEM:  "a complex system of nerves and networks in the brain, involving several areas near the edge of the cortex concerned with instinct and mood. It controls the basic emotions (fear, pleasure, anger) and drives (hunger, sex, dominance, care of offspring)."

So do your thoughts serve you in a positive way and fire the right sets of nerves in your Limbic System?  If not, then it’s time to check in with yourself and start to gradually allow your focus to move from negative to positive thoughts.

Now it’s important to emphasise at this point that this is not just about positive affirmations.  Some people advocate that simply saying “I feel good, I feel good, I feel good, I feel good, I feel good, I feel good, I feel good” is enough to create a change in state.  This may work for some people, but it’s not the essence of what we are teaching.
 
One thing about affirmations is that you may be in a situation that is too complex to allow your intelligent / logical brain to translate the situation into feeling better.  A more suitable way to change your state is to check in with yourself.  Be kind to yourself.  Let your current thoughts and feelings drift past you on your magic carpet as you observe them from your vantage point.  Breathe deeply and start to migrate your thoughts to more constructive ways of interpreting any situation.

Another powerful way to reframe destructive self talk is to remove its significance by considering it to be like “mental or emotional weather.” If you find your brain is misbehaving and gravitating to less empowering self talk, consider the words to be like a storm passing. Observe the storm from your magic carpet. Sit there peacefully in the knowledge that weather is transient and shining sunshine is just round the corner!

This will in turn bring about different more positive feelings, which will create more empowering actions, which reinforces your thoughts and the cycle continues.  This is probably best illustrated with an example.

I’m going to write two paragraphs and they are going to illustrate your internal dialogue.  See if you relate to any of it and reflect on how each way of talking to yourself could bring about different overall feelings.

“What a shit day!  Why does my alarm always fail to go off.  I can’t believe I’m late again - I’m always bloody late!  Missed my train, even after running. God, I’m shit at running too.  It’s going to be one of those bad days, I just know it.  Everything’s going wrong.  I’ve got to face those people trying to block my ideas at work too.  Why do they hate me so much.  I need a new job, but I’ll never find one in this economy.  What a shit day!"

OK - so I’ve turned on the taps to full here.  I hope that none of you have conversations with yourself of this magnitude of destruction, but then some of you might!  I’m chuckling to myself at how hard it was to write that, as I’ve been practicing mindfulness for some years now and it was difficult for me to come up with those words.  It might be easier for you?  Either way, I think you will see the point. Now let’s try another version.

"I love it when there’s mist in the mornings.  Everything looks like an abstract painting and the moist air feels great in my lungs.  I must remember to plug my phone in at night.  I’ve missed my alarm this morning  and I’d prefer not to let that happen again.  I’ll buy another charger today and put it next to my bed.  I think I’ll listen to that favourite album I’ve just found on the way to the station this morning to change my focus after this little setback.   I’m not going to rush as I’m a little late already, but have called to let everyone know, so it’s no problem.  It will give me time to think about how to get more buy in from my colleagues for my project.  I think they must need more information as the ideas are sound.  I’ll arrange some 121 meetings today to get some feedback on how things are going."

So there we are.  It takes practice to transition from one way of thinking to another as a lot of what we do as humans is habitual.

I hope you’ve found this interesting.  Here’s a simple little exercise to do to make sure you are more mindful of your self talk, focusing and feeling better!  Try it and PLEASE let us know how you get on.  We love to get feedback. 

1. Regularly check in with yourself and ensure that you are being kind to yourself and not beating yourself up with negative self talk.
    
2. If you “Catch” disempowering chatter just reflect from the vantage point of your magic carpet and say something like “there I go again", and let it float past.
    
3. Understand that there is ALWAYS a more positive way to reflect on any given situation.
    
4. After it has passed, be creative in thinking of ways to change your focus.  Either reframe the current negative situation in a more supportive and positive light, or consider some other situation that allows a change of focus and more positive internal evaluation of where you are.  The vital bit is to get your self talk to reflect this using more positive and empowering words and phrases.
    
5. Breathe and be kind to yourself.

This technique works best when combined with making changes in your physical state. We will discuss this in a future insight. :-)

Until next time.

#BeMindful & #respectyourtemple

Our key to being Happy more of the time

We encourage our clients to set goals.  We have a whole section of our philosophy dedicated to the “why” of what we are doing and powerful goals are the foundation to an awesome existence. Goals contribute to growth which is one of the 6 human needs as described by the teachings of Tony Robins.  We love Goals!

As part of the goal setting process, the reason that a goal has been chosen is worth considering.  Goals are simply vehicles to produce feelings that we desire.  It is for this reason that sometimes, when we achieve a goal, we may paradoxically experience a sense of dissatisfaction or disillusionment.  We had expected that achieving this “thing” would make us feel a certain way and sometimes it doesn’t.

It’s a fascinating subject and if you’re interested in further reading check out some links at the end of this article to some of our teachings on goals.

The reason that I mention this in relation to being happy more of the time, is that when we distill most goals down, they are simply vehicles to happiness at some level.  Often a feeling of peace and pleasure is also sought.  The thing with these feelings is that they are ALL transient.  They may be wonderful whilst they are manifested, but they will pass.  This is the fundamental key to understanding how to be happy or to experience a feeling of peace more often.  Let’s explore this a little more.

Our mind is truly an incredible thing.  It takes experiences and classifies them based on outcomes and how they make us feel.  It then decides whether to gravitate towards that experience again and looks for ways to create more positive feelings in our lives.  The thing is that if we start to allow ourselves to feel profound disappointment at the passing of happy moments, our brains can associate this as being too difficult for us and actually moves subconsciously to make sure we don’t experience this pain again.  By doing this we can actually start to avoid some of the deeply happy moments in our lives!

A good example off this is the person that experienced a deeply loving relationship.  That magical time when you fall deeply in love with a person and your whole world revolves around that part of your life!  If that relationship ends for some reason, it can cause the individual to actively avoid relationships in the future.  Ringing true of any of you?

So lets explore a way of using self talk (our internal dialogue) to think of a new way to make sense of thoughts and feelings in our mind.  Start to discuss with yourself the fact that ALL feelings will pass at some point.  How we feel about things WILL change over time.  Feelings you’ve had in the past (good and bad) have come and go.  They will come and go in the future.

If we are experiencing negative emotions just say to yourself “there we go - a negative emotion that’s probably linked to a thought.  It may pass if I change my focus.  If not then it will pass over time.”  On the converse be aware that when you are in a sense of flow and deep peace and happiness that this will also pass at some point.  Continue to celebrate and perpetuate the feeling of joy, but don’t be afraid that it may pass.  Just live in the now.

The simple acknowledgement that everything is transitory means we don’t feel as much disappointment when the good times wain.  We just know that they will return again at some point in the future.  All of us have experienced good and bad feelings in the past.  They come and go.  This is the key insight to feeling more balanced.

So next time you are meditating, take a moment to check in with your feelings.  Just be aware of them and let them manifest and flow.  Think of them like a tide on a beach through the changing seasons.  Like the sea, your emotional states come in and out with varying magnitudes in different weathers.  The only constant is that they will come and they will go.  Learn to dance in the rain and go surfing in the winter.  When summer comes enjoy it, even though other climates may be around the corner.  Be generally mindful and kind to yourself.  If you practice this we promise you will start to feel more balanced and whole.  Oh and don’t forget to…..

#respectyourtemple

Here's the link to the Goal Setting Article.  We invested a lot of time writing this one - so please check it out :-)

Do you need a #TempleDay?

We’ve been discussing progress with goals and resolutions recently with a number of clients.  Sometimes a great start and bags of enthusiasm can fade.  It’s a good idea to revaluate your progress if any feelings of disappointment or setbacks come up to prevent you from straying from the path you've set yourself.  We want you to learn to dance in the rain ;-)

When we set goals we mainly do so because of how we think it will make us feel on achieving them as well as how we will feel during the process of attaining them.  Occasionally we might set some milestones or general expectations in our goals that we don’t achieve as quickly as expected.  Alternatively we might not experience the feelings that we expected on achieving the goal.  It’s during these minor setbacks that the real power of your will comes to action to ensure you don’t fall into the trap of becoming distracted or giving up and returning to old disempowering habits.

It’s a set of behaviours that’s also associated with an “all or nothing” type of thinking seen in some people.  So we've created the idea of a #TempleDay to get those of you who are waining back on track to being and feeling awesome during your journey through life!!
The concept of a #TempleDay is to decide that today, tomorrow or some fixed date in the future will be a dedicated day where you enjoy focusing on your Strength Temple by being mindful of your #7Pillars.  For those of you new to The Strength Temple or our 7 Pillars philosophy let’s recap!

The Strength Temple is our name for your overall being!  Not just your physical body, but your feelings of wellness, energy, joy and abundance.  It’s how well you give to yourself and others.  We achieve results in our Strength Temple through focus on what we call our 7 Pillars.  The 7 Pillars are Movement, Hydration, Flexibility, Mindfulness, Nutrition, Environment and Breath.  We provide programs to allow progression to mastery in each of these areas and this journey creates an incredible life and sense of being!

So if you ever feel like you’re losing your direction try just dedicating a single day, or even a shorter period of time, such as a morning, to focusing on your 7 Pillars.  Let’s consider this in the form of an example to give you an idea.

Jane had been really excited at the turn of the year and had completed the Strength Temple Goal Setting workshop and set some really awesome goals for the year ahead.  These had focused on feeling fitter and healthier by taking up a gym membership and setting some goals around running a half marathon in July.  She got off to a great start and had been eating cleaner and gradually building her miles running.

After a few weeks and a very enthusiastic start, Jane started to find some of her new habits were becoming more of a chore than a pleasure.  She found she was getting bored running on the treadmill and had reverted back to snacking on the wrong foods whilst at work.  Feeling disheartened she began to skip running sessions and by the end of January had pretty much reverted back to her old lifestyle.

If any of this sounds familiar to anyone - that’s cool.  Much of what we need to do when setting goals is change old habits and this can be challenging!  The key is to modify any feelings of setback and find ways to refocus and remind yourself why you wanted to progress on a path to a better you in the first place.

We advised Jane to be mindful of her self talk (that little voice in your head that can sometimes chatter negativity at you!) and to have a #TempleDay.  She picked the coming Saturday and arranged to do a number of things that would allow some focus on her #7Pillars and bring her back in alignment with what she was looking to achieve.

From the moment she opened her eyes in the morning we reminded her to take deep cleansing breaths and gently stretch as she reminded herself of the gifts already present in her life.  She focused on the fact that she was warm and in a comfortable bed.  She reminded herself of the support of her family and friends and remembered how fortunate she was to be holidaying this year in France.  After reflecting for a moment, she woke and immediately made her bed.  This is a great habit to set yourself up for a productive day and reflects a sense of order in your environment.

She then progressed downstairs and started her day with her usual coffee, but included some freshly filtered water to drink when she woke up to feed her hydration pillar.  She showered using her favourite organic products chosen for their aromatherapy actions and prepared for a long walk in the countryside with her dog.

Jane chose a route that she hadn’t tried before and took some friends along for the walk.  She made a conscious effort to be aware of the wonders of nature around her and went for her walk at sunrise to experience the wildlife she didn’t usually get to see.  She focused on listening to birdsong and ensured that she maintained positive breathing techniques.  The walk wasn’t rushed.  It was an exercise in living in the moment and enjoying the pure energy of being alive!

On the way home from her walk she visited her father for tea and to pick up some fresh, organic produce from his vegetable garden.  Kale, Cavalier Nero, Carrots and Leaks were in season and on returning home she made herself a delicious green smoothie to kick start her day and pay attention to her nutrition pillar.

We had coached Jane in balancing her lifestyle with some new hobbies and not making everything about nutrition and exercise.  Jane went shopping to purchase some new books on upholstery and did some eBay browsing purchasing an old armchair as her first project.

During the afternoon she prepared a meal for a dinner party in the evening prior to going for a run.  She decided to ditch the gym for the day and run in the local park.  It delivered some variety to her training and she did some research locally to find some other new routes to maintain variety in the future.

Her evening dinner party was very well received.  Jane made a number of dishes from our Strength Temple clean eating programs and she enjoyed sharing the love with her family and friends.

So that was Jane’s #TempleDay.  Yours might be very different!  They key is to do something that will address as many of your pillars as possible and to make it a day of sticking to your plans. 
Who knows, you might eventually decide to make every day a #TempleDay ;-)

In the mean time, we wish you courage in your journey.  Celebrate the great progress you are making and don’t forget life isn’t perfect.  If you get distracted, have a #TempleDay and get yourself back on track.

With love.

#respectyourtemple

#Video: Sun Salutations from our #yogi Shona Vertue

So this will be the shortest post so far.  Short is good.  Short is to the point.  Short of vibrant energy and happy smiles is what you WON’T BE if you follow The Strength Temple #7Pillars 😉  Here's some wisdom from our resident Yoga Guru; Shona Vertue.

The foundation of every yoga posture lies in the Sun Salutations.

So, while we may not all get the chance to do  a 90 minute yoga class every week, if we can practice the Sun Salutations every day, we are building and maintaining the strength needed to tackle other postures. Oh, and to just have a generally better time in our bodies. 

Do this with me in the mornings to really enliven your body, mind and inner goddess (or god).

x

Miss Vertue.
#respectyourtemple

Breath - are you going deep enough? Try this...

#Breath is one of the #7pillars of your Strength Temple.  Our guest contributor, Elizabeth McQuillan explains why.......

Few of us pay much mind to our breathing. Like walking or talking, we accept it as something that just happens, an incidental adjunct to getting on with life. However, each lungful of precious air has the capacity to help us heal, burn fat and energise the entire body.

Sadly, we just don’t do it very well. Without “trying”, simply consider your breathing. If you are like most folk you pull a shallow breath in that barely inflates your lungs. Now really try to breathe in, and notice what happens. If your shoulders have lifted towards your ears, and your chest moves upwards, then you are doing a good job of inflating the apex of your lungs. That leaves a big void of lung tissue redundant.

Years of breathing in this way, exacerbated by holding tension and stress in the neck and shoulder area, means the body is rationed in vital oxygen. It cannot possibly function to best ability. Without inhaling enough oxygen (O2), or exhaling enough carbon dioxide (CO2), problems can manifest in the form of mental fogginess, fatigue and reduced tissue function.

Current recommendations for non-medicinal treatment of stress, anxiety and even depression are rooted in cognitive therapy used alongside the practice of “mindful” breathing.

The sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for our fight-or-flight response, can cause all manner of knock-on unhealthy effects when placed under constant stress. In chronic stress, where cortisol and adrenaline are continuously being pumped into the system, it is not uncommon to find depression, muscle pain and tension, insomnia and gut troubles.

Deep and mindful breathing is one of the best ways to offset these effects. It quickly kickstarts the parasympathetic nervous system, which counters the sympathetic response and invokes relaxation. Breathing like this swings the pendulum so that the body chemistry changes to take us from a status of high alert, to feeling altogether more chilled out.

Shallow breathing is also not our friend if we are on the quest to burn fat and lose weight. To metabolise fat stored in the body, our system needs plenty of O2, and a deficit means that what we do have is channeled to more essential places.

Available oxygen will not be used for non-vital body functions (ie fat burning) and will be directed instead to vital functions. Breathing awareness will increase the oxygen circulated by the blood, and the increased oxygen supply will enhance the cells’ ability to turn the stored fatty deposits to energy that the body can use.

In cases of poor general health, cancers, viral illness and poor organ function, it is important to consider the wellbeing of our lymphatic system. This is part of our immune system and is essential in the disease-fighting process. It collects cellular waste, and carries it away for disposal.

Shallow breathing and immobility allow the lymphatic system to become sluggish and congested, organ function to become compromised, and a build-up of toxins to stagnate within the system. This can lead to oedema (perhaps seen as swelling in the feet and ankles) and may even trigger cell pathology.

Since there is no pump to circulate lymph, we rely on arterial pulsations, organ compression, body movement and muscle contraction to do the job. Importantly, we need the pressure changes in the thorax that breathing provides. Shallow breathing simply won’t provide adequate means to get the lymph moving.

Stig Severnisen - Can hold his breath for more than 20 minutes!  Picture courtesy of Wikipedia.

Deep and mindful breathing will also increase sporting performance by providing an increase in lung capacity. World Champion freediver, Stig Aavall Severinsen – the first man in the world to hold his breath for over 20 minutes – certainly has the technique down to a fine art.

Remember how a baby breathes, with its tummy rising and falling. Each day set time aside to stand, sit or lie down in a quiet place for five minutes. Don’t force your breath, but allow the air to be drawn into your lungs, and feel your tummy rise. Relax your throat, neck and shoulders, trying to pull the air deeper into your lower chest.

Gently let the breath out (without disturbing an imaginary feather under your nostrils). Play with the breath, and imagine pulling the air into different areas of your chest and body. Be quietly aware of sights, sounds, smells and thoughts that come to you. Don’t dwell on them, but acknowledge them and let them go.

If you practice mindful breathing, the benefits start to manifest themselves really very quickly. Skin is clear and glowing, health and wellbeing improve and there is definitely a renewed calmness and control within life. Well worth a try.

Elizabeth McQuillan x

#respectyourtemple

#Video: Fancy a Quickie?

Breath is one of the Pillars of your Strength Temple.  It's there for a reason as it's so important for health, both physical and emotional.  One of the most amazing ways to focus on breath is through Yoga practice.

Here’s a beautiful article from Shona Vertue around treating yourself to some Yoga love.  We thrive on this at The Strength Temple and invite you to let Shona into your lives too.  She’s a force of nature.

How many of you find the thought of practicing yoga intimidating? Daunting even?  Putting the body in compromising positions, confronting situations, discomfort, stillness … it’s pretty scary stuff right?

I’m going to be honest here and tell you that it scares me too. And no word of a lie, about 2 minutes into my daily practice my brain has pretty much written a thesis on why I should stop and do something else.

That’s where the #yogaquickie concept came from … I thought – 5 minutes every day (or #yogaeverydamnday in the land of instagram) is better than 90 minutes once every month or fortnight.

6 minutes of deeply concentrated, joyful and breath-synchronised movement, is far more beneficial than 90 minutes of a pseudo-yoga class with a front row ticket to your own internal monologue ranting on about your likes and dislikes, to-do list and see-through lululemon pants.

10 minutes, 5 minutes, just 3 deep breaths even – it’s all yoga. To me an advanced yoga practitioner is determined by the quality of the connection between their body, mind and breath, not by how well they can impersonate a german pretzel.

I live in a busy city, time is more valuable than money and ironically more scarce – so I understand the need for fast, effective results. In my experience as an elite gymnast, yoga teacher, personal trainer and massage therapist, I know that nothing works better and faster than good old consistency (remember that concept of sticking to something for longer than it takes to go through your Facebook news feed?)….

So – give me roughly 3-5 minutes. Every day. Try a quickie, and see how you feel.  I've quite flexible!  Don't force any of the moves and only do what feels comfortable.  If you are unsure speak to your trainer or GP before you start on any type of new fitness campaign.

You’ll be amazed that you’re actually doing yoga. Every damn day and your body will thank you for it.

x
Miss Vertue

#respectyourtemple

Stairway to Heaven "Glutes"

“I should just note that I wrote this one quite some time ago when I was living in sunny Sydney. I Sadly don’t live near any park with steps. London is very flat. However, if you are near stairs – I hope this article brings you some inspiration to climb up, then down, then up again, then down, then up (because it’s important to finish on a high). Enjoy…”

Lately I’ve been looking at more dynamic and explosive ways of training my body, 1. because it’s fun and 2. because I don’t seem to have the time for these luxuriously long workouts anymore – so it has to be efficient with the time I have.

Stair sprints have been the answer.

There are a few main benefits to stair sprints. As mentioned above it is time efficient, allowing for a great cardiovascular and intense workout in under 15 minutes of training. Legs and Butt to brag about is benefit number two, as the explosive nature of stair running can do wonders for the Gluteus Maximus & Medius and Quadriceps. Benefit number three is the fact that it’s way more interesting that sitting on a leg extension machine or stepping up and down bench in the gym – you’re hopefully outdoors, in the sun, breathing fresh oxygen.

Today I ran up the beautiful, yet painfully steep steps at Cooper Park, Sydney 10 times. Resting at the top for 30 seconds before I would run down to enjoy it all over again (ok so I may be exaggerating when I say enjoy – it’s a love hate thing). Each time I ran back up the stairs I made a promise that I would go as hard as I could to the top, sprinting 2 steps at a time so that I would get a better Glute workout as opposed to just my Quads doing most of the work.

How To:

Begin with a quick warm up. Using Dynamic stretches like deep squats and psoas lunges. Also, complete a quick jog up the steps – taking one step at a time with a nice and gentle spring in your step.

When you feel warm go ahead and sprint as fast as you can up the steps, taking 2 steps at a time, drive through the heel of your top foot so that you are engaging, not just the quad, but the gluteus as well. Make sure that your knee is tracking directly over your ankle as you run up the steps. (Watch out for knees dropping inward – this could mean that you are not stable enough through the glute and need to slow down. Instead of sprinting, try walking up two steps at a time, consciously driving through the heel of your foot, watching the tracking of the knee and concentrating on squeezing your butt muscles to get you up).

Repeat this 10 times. Resting for anywhere between 30 – 50 seconds. If you’re new to this or you feel under conditioned take a longer rest.

Write down your results – how long it took you to get up the steps, how long you rested for and how many sets you did. Then beat it next week.

Obviously you shouldn’t be doing this sort of explosive training if you have any injuries – anywhere in your body. I say that very seriously – I know it may sound a little overprotective, however this workout is intense and extremely taxing on the body. Why put it under unnecessary stress when it is trying to heal? Injuries require slow stabilising workouts and massage – so be honest with yourself and your current physical state before attempting this workout.

If you can do the workout – Then try the post exercise stretch sequence below.

Watch the video first and then copy the sequence I have written for you below. It’s very quick and simple. DONT SKIP YOUR STRETCHES PEEPS!

1. Cresent lunge:

Begin with feet together and step back the left leg into a crescent lunge. Make sure your hips are square, your lower stomach is drawn in and pelvic floft edited (the kind of squeeze you would doif you were busting to go to the toilet).

Bring your palms together at your heart and reach up to stretch out your psoas and hip flexor muscles, twist your body to the right and hook your left elbow on the outside of the right leg (twisting crescent lunge).

2. Ardha Hanuman

Come back to centre and bring your finger tips to the floor. On an exhale press your hips backwards so that you come into Ardha Hanumanasana / Half Splits. Let your head completely relax down so that you get the full fascial stretch from the sole of your foot through the back of your leg right up to the back or your neck (yes! it’s that connected!)

Move in between these two postures, the lunge and Ardha Hanumanasana, by inhaling to brand the front knee and exhaling back in the the half split (Ardha Hanuman pose). Take as many rounds of this as you like going that little bit deeper each time (if your body allows for it).

2. Skandasana:

From Ardha Hanumanasana come back into the lunge by bending your front knee. Take both hand into the inside of your front leg. Begin to shift your weight all onto the front leg and you twist your body to the left. Place both hands on the outside of your left leg and fold forward.

Transition to take it all on the left side by bending the left knee into a lunge and repeat from the Crescent Lunge.

Happy Stretching.

x

Miss Vertue. (info@shonavertue.com)

#respectyourtemple #movementpillar