Miffymog

I've just worked out a way for me to follow Voidisyinyang's posts. I simply ignore all the words I don't understand and don't make sense to me. When I just focus on the words that I do understand and do make sense to me, I am then able to follow the thread of what he's saying, and it can then be quite interesting.

I wish I'd kept my ZZ sessions shorter and so I wouldn't have kept giving up.

It's strange, when I started I out I was really conscious of this change in alignment between these two postures. But now I don't notice the difference at all. It could either be that my muscles are stronger and so I no longer need to change my posture in order to hold my arms in a raised position. Or, I'm so used the change in posture as I rise my arms that my mind has stopped noticing it. Either way - your noticing it is a good thing as it means that you're increasing your awareness of your body. But in time, it becomes such a small thing that you no longer think about. Well, that was the case for me anyway.

I myself have long term sciatica and also have practised ZZ every day for the last few years. The only time it has aggravated my sciatica is when I tried out a single weighted stance a while ago so I stopped this stance. Other than that, the slow improvement in strength around the back muscles has only helped my sciatica to the extent that I never get any pain from it unless I do some very intensive sport. However, I have progressed with my practice very slowly and very gently. 5 minute stands for the first 4 months. Very shallow height, pretty much up until a couple of months ago. So take it very slowly and give the body time to grow and develop at its own slow pace.

I've got that enso pearl and I love it.

That is a shame what you've experienced there. Normally when you first start ZZ, the combination of boredom in the mind and pain in the legs are enough to limit the duration of your stand so that you don't really risk any dangerous side effects. I wonder what pose you used, what depth you stood at and how long you stood for? It is said that when you do start out, the extra energy in the body does aggravate some old aliments, but this is in fact just old injuries healing themselves and passes with practice. However, the degree of what you've experienced does suggest that it's worth letting these things settle down a bit first. It's also probably better to start off with a moving practice when you're feeling a bit better. Is there a medical doctor you can see how could help you? I do have faith that the practice can heal many issues, but it might not be right for you right now.

Bloody hell!

Well, I did get the feeling the bitter cold kept the numbers a bit lower last week. But I am surprised the momentum has picked up again when Macron backed down. It does make it trickier to work out where this will go.

But why are they doing it? Is it to get rid of Macron?

I've got to admit, even though 95% of the pages were blanked out, that was very interesting to look through ...

Ooooooo, where is this going? May is banging on about it being hard brexit or her deal in a desperate attempt to force MP's to vote for her deal. Labour's bluff has been called and she's heading off a challenge from them due to the support of the DUP. There's no change now until the vote - then how will the factions group together ... ?

Just to say, rideforever often suggests this attitude towards breathing and I completely and utterly agree with it. However, for me, this approach is easiest to take when there is another larger aim or activity in the practice. Whether that is a physical or mental activity, focusing on that and then allowing the breath to be natural is really really good. When I have had a practice that focuses solely on the breath, just observing it, I found the breath by itself would slow down a huge amount which tended towards the 'turtle breath' that is often described as a daoist technique. But I would always find it difficult to sustain a practice that was solely based on the breath for a long period of time. After some time, I would find myself looking for something else to do, and then the breath would just return to it's natural breath. However, the time spent 'learning' to relax into the breath is beneficial for all other things though, so some work on it can only be a good thing.

Currently, May keeps on dragging her feet and ruling out all other options other than her deal. She'll hold the vote on her deal as late as possible and when it gets voted down, she'll probably just say, 'oh, I'll go off to the EU and get some more concessions'. These wont come, but her plans are just to hold another vote on her deal even closer to the deadline hoping more MP's are forced to her side. The simple fact is that the DUP will support the government if Labour hold vote of no confidence, so Labour just don't have the numbers to do this yet. And May has already beaten the vote of no confidence against her by her own party. Nicola Sturgeon is really annoyed that the DUP hold so much power at the moment compared to the Scottish MP's but that's the way it is. It's kind of up to the DUP what happens now ... or immediately after the vote ...

There seems to be no power behind it. All his movements are due to his exterior mobilizer muscles rather than his interior posterial ones, but I've never done any Tai Chi so you'd have to take what I say with a pinch of salt.

Shifting Sands Many people are coming out today against a second referendum and there is, right now, just not the majority in parliament to vote for this. When May's deal gets voted down, the default position is hard Brexit ...

I'm definitely up for a second referendum. It's strange, but I feel it could be done in a really good way with everyone having now a clear idea of the consequences of the outcomes. There would be no spurious lies and, if written well, the people could give really clear instructions on how to progress. But how on earth is a well balanced representative ballot paper going to prepared. I think we ignore the Canada and Norway options and go - Hard Brexit / May's Deal / Remain. As these are all clearly agreed on terms (well kind of, hard Brexit would still require more negotiation once we've left, but the basis is fairly clear). However, I'm a remainer and I think parliament will bias it in favour of this i.e. get rid of the hard Brexit option. This would statisfy my own desires, but would not be all that fair.

Philip Hamond, David Gauke, Amber Rudd, Greg Clarke, and David Lidington understood to be softening on second referendum 'to break the deadlock' - Daily Mail The second referendum is getting closer - but what goes on the ballot paper PLUS May is thinking about having the vote on her deal next week - knowing it'll get voted down - in order to move things on. Farage seems to be calling for second referendum knowing the strength of public opinion against the EU.

Worth repeating, one of the most significant EU issues is uncontrolled migration ...

May has said she'll bring the vote on her deal forward so it's earlier than January 21st. This is sensible so there's more time to sort out the fall out. However, she'll probably leave all of this stuff until the New Year so that it does not hang over Christmas in some strange state.

We don't have revolution in our blood like the French. But, Labour has it's seats in parliament due to Brexiteers, the country will be divided on this issue either way what ever happens. Interesting listening to an EU press conference. Brexit took up 1/3 of it, uncontrolled migration from Africa, the other 2/3 rds ...

A no deal Brexit is a little closer now ... This does all seem to be heading to another referendum - the question is, of course, what goes on the ballot paper as the polling says the outcome would still be really close. Is it Mays Deal / Remain Hard Brexit / Remain Hard Brexit / Mays Deal / Remain The triple option interestingly splits the vote.

This will have to wait until she's got the deal back in front of parliament, so after Jan the 21st at this rate... Taking a break from this for while is a GOOD idea

hmmm - what you say makes sense

Been thinking about this myself this morning. The problem for May is that she lost her majority at the last general election and is now dependent on the DUP. They will never want something that can ever threaten separating NI from the UK in any way. Simply put, they would now rather remain than May's deal. Combined with the fact Labour care more about getting into power than Brexit, May's deal will sink. Now the hard Brexiters have been silenced by the last night's loss, I'm afraid for leavers, remain is becoming ever more likely. I prefer remain to May's deal, and it is slowly going that way. For a remainer, there is still a very long way to go, as there would have to be another referendum. The options on the ballot paper would be May's deal or remain, and the current polling is that this would still be a very, very close vote....