Body Flow

[Cameron]

Anyone do Body Flow? I started doing some of the excercises and they are pretty fun! I can definetly see how alot of these movements would help my Jiu Jitsu. I remember Warrior Wellness and Prasara getting thumbs up but don't remember Body Flow being mentioned.

 

I just have the videos not the book. There are no guidelines or anything just the excercieses .Are you supposed to do them in any special order or is it just for whenever?

 

Is Prasara similar to BF? What about Freedom by degree?

[sean]

Anyone do Body Flow? I started doing some of the excercises and they are pretty fun! I can definetly see how alot of these movements would help my Jiu Jitsu. I remember Warrior Wellness and Prasara getting thumbs up but don't remember Body Flow being mentioned.

 

I just have the videos not the book. There are no guidelines or anything just the excercieses .Are you supposed to do them in any special order or is it just for whenever?

 

Is Prasara similar to BF? What about Freedom by degree?

7759[/snapback]

I do Body Flow. I love it. I think it translates really well to BJJ.

 

My take is that Prasara is the Body Flow methodology applied to create 5 specific, very interesting flows in the spirit of Yoga vinyasas. I think there are pros and cons to approaching Body Flow from the Body Flow tapes themselves vs. Prasara and I'll get into it if you are interested.

 

Freedom by Degree is the mastery level of Warrior Wellness and add's some clever refinements and diagnostics.

 

Sean.

[Yoda]

What's the difference between WW and Body Flow esp in terms of energy benefits?

 

[edit]

 

I just realized that I own the book. I also read the reviews of it on amazon to get up to speed. Sort of skimpy on actual drills and it's sort of like yoga in motion. That's what I remember from the book. As I'm sold on WW and want to get more into yoga/pilates type stuff, and to keep whatever I do moving oriented, I'll reread the book.

[Cameron]

I do Body Flow. I love it. I think it translates really well to BJJ.

 

My take is that Prasara is the Body Flow methodology applied to create 5 specific, very interesting flows in the spirit of Yoga vinyasas. I think there are pros and cons to approaching Body Flow from the Body Flow tapes themselves vs. Prasara and I'll get into it if you are interested.

 

Freedom by Degree is the mastery level of Warrior Wellness and add's some clever refinements and diagnostics.

 

Sean.

7768[/snapback]

 

Yes..get into it

[sean]

Yes..get into it

7809[/snapback]

Ok.

 

If Body Flow was a foreign language, the Body Flow tapes teach you the alphabet and grammar and build some example phrases, whereas Prasara is like picking up a really handy phrasebook. With Prasara you can memorize these useful key phrases and start speaking the language and over time start picking up insights about the language through intuition. You will probably not get a full understanding of the language, and may not even be able to grasp the perfect pronunciation for the words in each phrase, but maybe that's not what you are after. You are not trying to move to the country that speaks it natively, you just want to drop by from time to time. Body Flow is more of a committment. After you graduate you can start creating your own phrases. You will be able to pick up Prasara more rapidly and understand it more deeply as a masterful piece of poetry spoken in the Body Flow language.

 

I like having both. Honestly I haven't explored Body Flow as much as I would have liked, but now fiddling with Prasara is making me go back and review certain pieces, which I then take back to Prasara.

 

Sean.

[Cameron]

Are you able to do all those different body flows? Also, scott doesn't reccomend any particular sequence to the training(in the tapes) or how long you are supposed to do them.

 

Are you just supposed to mess around with the different flows perdiodically/ Use them as a warm up? After training?

 

or are you supposed to try to master all of them and then just play with them creatively?

[sean]

Are you able to do all those different body flows? Also, scott doesn't reccomend any particular sequence to the training(in the tapes) or how long you are supposed to do them.

I wish. I'm still in perpetual dabbling mode. Maybe I will grow up one day and apply myself to something. I have most of the flows from tapes one and two down but haven't really gotten all of them from tape three.

 

Are you just supposed to mess around with the different flows perdiodically/ Use them as a warm up? After training?

 

or are you supposed to try to master all of them and then just play with them creatively?

Your questions actually point to one of the advantages of starting with Prasara. You just break apart and memorize 5 flows and work them into your routine. Whereas Body Flow is really an open loop and is a little daunting in that way because you can just keep studying and studying as much as your interest, time and creativity permit.

 

One of the core principles of Scott's material to keep in mind though is Fun. No need to go into it with super structured seriousness, just play with it. Whenever. Make it enjoyable. Explore. A little here a little there. Trust. Celebrate.

 

Sean.

[Cameron]

Right it seems like something more like play than a structured workout.

 

Actually I think everything should ultimately get this way.

 

I think some of my problem in not getting many of my goals is being too structured instead of focsing on creativity and having fun.

 

Like Steve Maxweell, he does kettlebells, CC, WW, BJJ, and he combines it all and other stuff creatively on the fly to create workouts like an artist.

 

Insteead of saying I have to get up to a certian number of snatches, or pushups or whatever..I should just go to the park or get on the mat with a flexible attiitude of play to do whatever is most helpful and also fun.

 

I think that kind of attitude also mirrors Winn's approach to taoist practice. I remember Winn saying once he doesn't have plans when he meditates but sits and just asks what he should work on...or something.

[Cameron]

But this stage of true play only really comes out when you have put in your time and hard work to learn the stuff IMO.

 

Like in martial arts, you have to drill and drill and drill and just get these basic moves down over and over..which may take months or years before you can really get to the stage where you are creatively flowing into technique using 'no mind'.

 

When you do any practice enough for that matter I think it eventually 'opens up' to where your ego gets out of the way and your just functioning in this higher state of no thought.

 

Until then you still have to be like " Ok, where does my leg go?"

[sean]

But this stage of true play only really comes out when you have put in your time and hard work to learn the stuff IMO.

 

Like in martiala rts, you have to drill and drill and drill and just get these basic moves down over and over..which may take months or years before you can really get to the stage where you are creatively flowing into technique using 'no mind'.

 

When you do any practice enough for that matter I think it eventually 'open up' to where your ego gets out of the way and your just functioning in this higher state of no thought.

 

Until then you still have to be like " Ok, where does my leg go?"

7871[/snapback]

True, I definitely get what you are saying. I don't think it's necessary to equate Flow, Play and Fun with effortless, soft, or easy though. You can Play with big weights and hard drills. It's more about orientation I think. Like the direction I am facing, or my intention. It's probably just semantics that I find important to help balance my temperament ... You already seem to have a great laid back attitude and sense of humor. I can get super uptight and stressed about stuff pretty easily so it's important to come back to center often and remind myself that the whole point is to have fun. To be happy. Even when things are excruciatingly hard. It's all in good fun. Ok, where does my leg go again?

 

Sean.

[Cameron]

True, I definitely get what you are saying. I don't think it's necessary to equate Flow, Play and Fun with effortless, soft, or easy though. You can Play with big weights and hard drills. It's more about orientation I think. Like the direction I am facing, or my intention. It's probably just semantics that I find important to help balance my temperament ... You already seem to have a great laid back attitude and sense of humor. I can get super uptight and stressed about stuff pretty easily so it's important to come back to center often and remind myself that the whole point is to have fun. To be happy. Even when things are excruciatingly hard. It's all in good fun. Ok, where does my leg go again?

 

Sean.

7874[/snapback]

 

Right . Of course when we say effortless we immedietly think "soft and easy". Like I was drilling takedowns with a guy a couple weeks ago in class and he goes

"This take down is very Tai chi". Meaning not much force or tension is employed.

 

But I don't think that is necissary at all. Like in kettlebell practice..the whole body is tight and braced and it's not soft or like tai chi but I still like to think of the workouts as flowing and trying to be creative. But you can be tense, tight and then immiedietly relax and be flowing. You don't have to be one or the other(although from my understadning many so called internal or external martiala rtists would go one way or the other. I think the higher level is master both and I think Taoists would say this also but just prefer the water way since it is most effortless. But just becasue the water way is more effortless doesn't mean fire, metal, wood etc are worthless..they all have there place)

 

Where does my leg go?

[8trigrammer]

Right . Of course when we say effortless we immedietly think "soft and easy". Like I was drilling takedowns with a guy a couple weeks ago in class and he goes

"This take down is very Tai chi". Meaning not much force or tension is employed.

 

But I don't think that is necissary at all. Like in kettlebell practice..the whole body is tight and braced and it's not soft or like tai chi but I still like to think of the workouts as flowing and trying to be creative. But you can be tense, tight and then immiedietly relax and be flowing. You don't have to be one or the other(although from my understadning many so called internal or external martiala rtists would go one way or the other. I think the higher level is master both and I think Taoists would say this also but just prefer the water way since it is most effortless. But just becasue the water way is more effortless doesn't mean fire, metal, wood etc are worthless..they all have there place)

 

Where does my leg go?

 

I've recently gotten in to KB's - if I understand it correctly the tensing only happens for a moment - Not including the slow grinds. So like on the swings, snatches, cleans and jerks there's an explosive tensing for a brief moment, but then relaxing as much as possible the rest of the time. Granted, the stabilizing muscles are activated the whole time, but besides that..

Edited January 25, 2008 by 8trigrammer