key points converge

3.7. Key points: Converge — Transcript (English)

Summary:

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Transcript

In this lesson, we’re going to talk about the key points related to the converge focus.

And you just finished watching a conceptual video about the peak pattern.

So when our hands and feet are on the floor, we’re trying to create this shape where the upper body and the thigh form this distinct peak shape.

And again, we want the upper body according to the gravity focus to keep this position of ribcage floor back and pelvis stacked.

So we have the peak shape and we have to adjust what we do with our knees and what we do with our shoulders in order to accommodate that peak pattern.

So converge, what is converge is when something is kind of coming together like this.

So when the body is inverted like this, then this peak shape is like holding something with chopsticks.

But then if the body is in this position, then the gravity is acting at us from a completely different direction and we need abdominal strength in order to keep this peak pattern together.

So in the next lesson, we are going to try to work with this converged dynamics in both cases, in both opposing directions of gravity.

So let’s just take a look.

So in the upcoming practical lesson, we will start from a reclining transition, but here I’m going to focus on the form that we’re going to do next, which is the V-seed.

So in order to enter that form, you will first bring your hands on the knees when you’re just comfortably sitting with your feet on the floor like this. you will lean back to the point where your elbows become extended.

And you can continue lowering your upper body until it almost feels like you’re hanging from your knees.

So you can literally hang from your knees to the point where if you let go, you’re gonna fall.

So from this position, we will continue to shift the weight a little bit back so that the feet come off the floor. see, and we’re gonna tilt a torter on our sit bones here, but we’re still kind of hanging from the knees.

See, hanging from the knees.

At this point, my feet are relaxed when I’m just showing how I’m hanging, but then in order to perform the form, we will need to create the state of Distributed Activation.

So first, as I just did, we’ll draw the shoulders down, although the neck will be relaxed.

And then the ball that over the feet will be also activated.

Look at how the toes are spread.

So ankles extended, spread the toes, draw the shoulders down.

And then one hand presses forward.

And the other hand presses forward as we draw the shoulders down.

So this way you can see that the feet are active, ankles extended, shoulders drawn down, arms pressing forward, the entire body is active.

And when we lean back like this, it already kind of automatically activates the abdominal wall.

It is a very gentle abdominal exercise at this point and because the knees are bent, it is relatively easy to stay in this position.

Now, if you already feel a little bit challenged in terms of abdominal strength even in this position, you don’t have to proceed any further.

And at any point when it becomes challenging, this is where you have to stop, right?

So this we’ll be talking about it more in the upcoming segments, but that’s Intensity Modification and Baseworks were constantly working at the level of effort, which is comfortable for you right now.

So at any moment, you don’t have to do anything which is beyond what feels comfortable right now.

But if you can proceed any further, what we’re going to do is that while we continue to draw the shoulders down and press the arms forward and spread the toes.

We will try to extend the knees and here by the way there is also an ascend focus aspect to this form.

I’m gonna go back a little bit and just look at the position of the knees.

The position of the knees are fixed so you can think of a foundation as the leg, the upper body and the arms.

This kind of triangle forms a foundation and as the knees extend, the rest of the body doesn’t move very much.

So from here, if it is available, you can extend the legs, but only if, first of all, you’re not feeling tired of shaking.

And second, if you can do this without changing the position of the knee, because some people they have a lot of abdominal strength, but they have limitation and hamstring flexibility.

So if they’re strong, but not flexible, what may happen is that as they extend the knees, this peak shape, it goes like this.

We do have another form where we go really low, but this is not this form.

This is a viscid.

And we want to keep this peak shape intact.

So if you, as you start to extend the knees, it feels like it’s doable.

It’s not difficult in terms of the abdominal strength, but you begin to lose this shape, your ankle starts to open like this.

Don’t do it.

You have to stop extending your knee at a point where you can still keep this shape intact.

So here I’m showing that I might want to return to the previous stage or you may be able to extend it but then it becomes too much and then you have to bend the knees again.

And also, for example, let’s say you’re flexible and strong, if you can come to this position, additional step is that you you may enter the full peak shape with your chest lifted, but that is completely optional.

And again, only if you feel very comfortable doing that.

And as you do that, you continue to draw the shoulders down and press the palms forward and spread the fingers and push the balls of the feet and extend the ankles.

So complete Distributed Activation here.

And so then we will just return the hands onto the knees.

And that’s it.

So we’ll lower the legs from here.

And from here, we will proceed to the next form, the peak.

And in this demonstration, Satak was going to perform it.

So from a kneeling position with the hands under the shoulders, we’ll come under the tiptoes.

And then we will walk the feet back.

And again, here everybody’s position is going to be different.

I mean, the distance between the hand and the feet is going to be different.

The objective is to keep the peak shape, which is the rib cage and the pelvis stacked and the sit bone to the knee.

So kind of this position.

The knees might have to be bent if your hamstrings are a little bit tight. also we’ll discuss it later, but you might have to open your shoulders a little bit like this.

So anyway, let’s just watch the video and I am going to comment.

What I want you to see here is that Saetoko is going to bring her heels on the floor, but look how her upper body doesn’t move as she does that.

So she has to walk her feet just a little bit forward in order to accommodate this movement, but her upper body doesn’t move.

So her ribcage and her pelvis stay stacked.

So with her level of flexibility in the ankles and in the hamstrings, she can perform this form with the heels on the floor.

But this is absolutely not a requirement.

Okay, so in Baseworks, the focus here is converge.

So you need to be able to keep this peak pattern.

And again, we don’t want it to start kind of go out like this and make all those weird shapes as we showed in the previous theoretical lesson.

So knees on the floor absolutely no need to do that.

But it is a possibility if you’re flexible.

So most people will be in a position similar to this one.

With the knees bent, maybe the knees will be bent even more.

And you can always think of it as kind of trying to bring the thighs close to the chest.

Also pressing into the floor, and then the toes are also pressing into the floor.

So this creates these forces which act kind of in this direction, something that you have seen in the previous video that help to keep the peak shape together.

So as you can see, this is not just, you know, the strength of your hip flexors.

You’re using your arms and you’re using the legs in order to keep the entire body in this position and also to create Distributed Activation.

So you can see Sadako’s shoulder position here.

For some people whose shoulders are not as open, you might have to open your shoulders much more.

So essentially, let’s say your shoulders are here and you’re only able to, like you feel like you cannot bring your shoulders higher to your head.

This is where you might have to open them and then press the chest a little bit more in between.

But again, if you’re too open, you also don’t want to kind of back arch and open your chest too much.

In that case, you might have to bring your arms closer together and also draw the armpits in and Sadovgor is going to show that movement a little bit.

So look at what she’s doing with her shoulders here.

See this movement?

First of all, she’s drawing the shoulders down.

And also, she’s trying to move her shoulder blades in or you can imagine that you want to turn your armpits in.

So it’s a movement that we don’t do very often in daily life, but the movement and kind of like this, you want to bring your elbows in and turn your armpits in, even though in between your armpits is a rib cage, you obviously cannot do this movement very much.

But the idea is that this will bring the shoulder blades out and it will increase the stability around the shoulders.

You can see Satoko doing that movement.

So you want to play with that movement and try to figure out how to do that.

And again, as you do that, you continue to press your arms into the floor and eventually we’ll bring the knees down.

So again, the focus in both the V-seed and in the peak is converge.

So it means that the thigh and your upper body with the stacked ribcage and pelvis need to kind of go towards each other.

But depending on how the body is positioned in relation to gravity, we will achieve it in different ways.

Feel free to review the previous video because we have these animations which show how the forces in peak, the pressing, the arms forward and gripping the toes back, how they help to keep the peak shape together.

So please review that. please feel free to review this video because you really don’t want to be tired and kind of trying to remember what to do when you’re actually performing the forms.

If you start feeling tired in any moment while performing either the V-SIT or the peak, please feel free to come out and then maybe just review the key points video or the previous video one more time to get some tips on how to reduce the intensity.

But if you feel like even when you’re applying all the key points, it’s still a little bit tiring, then just don’t do the form for the entire duration of the video.

Just only do it for as long as you feel comfortable.

And then if you continue doing it periodically, just this continuity, eventually we’ll build the strength up to the point where you feel comfortable doing it for the entire duration of the video.

And again, don’t compromise on the form, right?

So we call the forms forms for a reason.

As we discussed in squats, you know, you start getting tired and the form just goes out of the window because you tend to focus on something which is more relevant such as fatigue or burning in the muscles.

So whenever you do base work form practice and you feel fatigue, stop because that will completely distract your attention from being in the form and focusing on, you know, the all the spatial details and the micro details of how you feel in the movements.

You really need all your attention and not to be tired when you’ve performed the form practice.

And now go to the next practice lesson and try the forms with a Converge Focus.