Reshaping your Body Using the Miracle Ball Method
Thinking the body is how many people approach exercise:
Most of us are familiar with the myriad of fitness regimens for sculping, toning, and reshaping the look of your body. These programs may be very effective for some, but for many can be extremely unsuccessful and sometimes cause injury. Let’s use the Core exercises as an example. Having a strong core not only looks great, but functionally is very important to how we feel when we move. But if it remains in that vein, an idea, a thought, our bodies don’t do the core exercises our minds do.
To improve the shape of your body you need to feel the body. All of us do to a certain extent, but then we can be misguided by the existing way people are still taught to move, through imitation and repetition. The Miracle Ball Method gives you the tool to improve the feeling of YOUR body. Its not about what you want it to do but what it is doing.
Once you feel your body you can move it. You can’t move something you don’t feel.
Is it your mind telling your body what to do?
That is how most of us go after that desire to improve the shape of our body, we have an image in our head. We hear what others tell us. Those are thoughts, driven by emotions. What if I were to tell you the missing link is you don’t feel your instrument. Its like telling a kid who is inspired to play the guitar, watch Eric Clapton videos. Eventually they will want to pick up the guitar and use their fingers and have that personal experience with their instrument.
Its similar if not identical when shaping your body. You are using your instrument, your body. A guitar makes certain sounds that someone who wants to play it, then hears it, and it resonates with them. Hopefully they don’t just want to imitate someone else playing the guitar. They will not have the full experience. Although we can get inspired by watching others, we can’t be them and would miss the joy of being who we are. Once we stop looking for the illusive image, we can enjoy the process that feeling gives to movement.
We can’t improve the look of our body through what someone else tells us it can do, or what we see others doing. That is why so many of us fail. Whatever your fitness choices, you may tell your body what you want to achieve, but thoughts alone do not move your body. That may sound silly but that is exactly what happens. How many of us do core exercises and our neck is really working the hardest. In fact, our waists can actually shorten, and our belly can even stick out further.
Don’t give up:
Many people give up and blame the instrument. We wouldn’t do that if we were learning to play an instrument. We would understand naturally we have to learn each note, how it touches the string, the sounds it makes. We might actually enjoy the process with a good teacher. The most beginning songs feel wonderful because “we” are playing the instrument. We are combining our emotions, feeling, desire along with the actual instrument itself.
If we could put some of that love, and patience into our bodies, our instrument, we could take it a bit more logically. Your body is not the problem. Its what others tell us about our bodies. Each person’s body is completely unique in how they approach it. Yes, we all have most of the same parts, but as no 2 people will play an instrument exactly the same way, no 2 people will move the same.
Breathing IS your Instrument.
- Understanding Breathing is the most important piece to your instrument. I don’t mean breathe more deeply, or yoga breathing. I mean notice; do you hold your breath when you move? Most people don’t have trouble breathing but are completely unaware of how much they hold their breath when they move.
- Breathing improves your metabolism, helps burn calories and improves your muscles tone.
Breathing reshapes your body by giving you feeling OF the Instrument, your Body. You take it with you wherever you go. It only takes moments to notice when you hold your breath. If you are holding your breath, you are going to be holding muscles that probably are tight and stiff. Breathing lengthens your muscles creating a waistline, allows your head to find balance over your pelvis. Because breathing feels so good when you realize its not work to do it, its much more work NOT to breathe.