Active Living, Interests & Pursuits - Meditation #2

I decided to try meditation again.

This time I chose the 'Cause and Effect' meditation on the 'Breathe app'.

I started off with much more focus, listening to the voice and the sounds of the meditation. I felt my body against the floor, my breath entering deep into my lungs and then leaving my body on the exhale. I allowed myself a brief thought that I was doing much better, and hoped the cat didn't come running by.

Then I felt a tap on my shoulder,

"Did you fall asleep?!"

I guess I need some more practice with regards meditation!!!

Take Me Outside Day

(credit:Take Me Outside)

I decided to take my grade 10 class outside as part of the 'Take Me Outside' day. They currently have a gym space, but I gave them a head's up about the day, what it entails and why we were doing it.

http://takemeoutside.ca/tmo-day/

Take Me Outside Day, in partnership with The Child and Nature Alliance of Canada, is an opportunity for schools across Canada and around the world to show the importance of getting outside.  It’s a day to support education extending beyond four walls and a desk!
(credit:www.takemeoutside.com)

I gave the students a photo scavenger hunt to complete, serving two purposes. 
1) It gave them a focus for the class
2) It actually made them look at the environment and be creative to capture images of the surrounding areas.

The class was a great success, with 24 of the 29 fully engaged (why lie and say it was all!). They could earn bonus points for each photo they took, going towards their Sport Education team total.

Active Living, Interests & Pursuits - Meditation #1

After a lot of discussion during our M.Ed class sessions and reading regarding mindfulness and vitality, I decided to try meditating.

I have never done meditation of any sort, and therefore did some looking around and found an app on the iphone which I thought would be a good place to start.

I surprised myself at how bad I did.

I lay down in the lounge, chose a meditation and turned it on. The soft voice started talking to the sound of lapping waves in the background and my mind immediately went to wondering where this beach was.

I listened intently, or so I thought, but within 2 minutes I was wondering if my students would be able to do this, then realized I was not doing it properly.

Then, as I felt I was returning to a concentrated state the cat went running by.

It is safe to say I need to practice this skill.

Active Living, Interests & Pursuits - Karate #4

Mon Sept 12

I have not been to Karate since May, I decided not to go in June or July to protect myself from injury, as the most important thing was to ensure we trek the Silverback Mountain Gorilla's in Uganda in the summer. I have waited YEARS to do that, and nothing was going to ruin it. Alexis asks me if I am nervous. I am not, I am excited to get back into the hard work, the discipline of learning. 

(credit:C Wardle)

As I arrive, I see a new face. I go over and introduce myself. R (we shall call him, says he has done martial arts before, but not for 15 years. He seems friendly enough, and I explain some of the things I wasn't told when I started!).

We start the session. After the warm up we go into basic move techniques, then kumite (sparring) - basically putting the same moving techniques into practice. I have only figured this out the last session before summer holidays, it was never explained that this was the format, but constant repetition over the weeks helped me figure it out. 

The session starts with some punching techniques. I feel good. I feel like I remember most of the basics, of hand retraction, head position, less power, more speed. The kumite session goes well, I am working with R and understand his frustrations as I can see him visibly annoyed with himself for not 'getting it'. 

After the break I work with Sensei on my Kata. We practice Heian Nidan. I am eager to impress, as I remember the whole kata now, I just need to successfully execute the moves. She runs through the basics to remind me, then we start dissecting the kata. It feels like knife after knife ripping through my technique and my confidence is ripped to shreds - once again. The main stumbling block was back hand knife hand block moving technique, which she now explains that I should spin with all the weight on my heel, not the ball of my foot! I stand dumbfounded. I feel anger, disappointment, frustration rise up in myself. I am a perfectionist, why was I not told this 10 months ago.

She explains that she had techniques corrected two years into Karate. I am shaking my (internal) head. I leave the class and go home very disappointed. I feel like I went back 6 months.

Active Living, Interests & Pursuits - Karate #3

Sat May 14th - Annual Shiai Competition

I have been told to register for this tournament, and been given very little detail. I print off a form that I find very difficult to understand, so fill in my name and take payment, Sensei takes the form and states she will fill in the rest!

Sometimes I feel like I have no idea what is going on. A bit like a leaf floating down a river.

I really want to know what is going on with regards my Karate journey and education, but I feel like a lot is left to 'figuring it out' along the way.

I arrive at the tournament, and have told the club I will take photos of the event that can be used for promotion purposes in the future. I take photos all morning. I read the schedule of events and I am entered into a kata for adults, yellow belt and below.

Kata (型 or 形 literally: "form"^?), a Japanese word, are detailed choreographed patterns of movements practised either solo or in pairs. The term form is used for the corresponding concept in non-Japanese martial arts in general.^[1]

(Source:Wikipedia)

My event is scheduled for 1 pm. I am stood next to an organizer who elbows me in the arm and says..
"That was you! They just called your name!"

I listen again and hear my name to go to the mat to compete. I look at my watch, it's 11.30 am. I am not dressed. She runs over, speaks to the organizing committee and runs back, telling me to go and get dressed into my gi. I grab my bag, run into the changing room, throw my stuff on, hurry out to the mat and stand next to the other two competitors. Both are yellow belts. 

we can do a kata of our choice. I only know 2, yet they know 4, so I assume we all choose the hardest one we know. They both compete well. I head up into the centre of the mat, the last to go. I look at the judge straight ahead of me, and I feel somewhat calm. I have played sport in front of crowds, and played in a band that has toured, so I tend to not get nervous performing in front of others. I do see Sheian, and as he is looking over, I feel a sense of wanting to perform well, to sho him that all his effort teaching has not been wasted. Also, being the 'lowest' belt, I guess there is an expectation that I will get the bronze medal. I start my kata, and am flying through it. At a point I am thinking maybe I am going too fast. I have not warmed up, have had no time to think about it, and just as I am heading through to the last phase of moves a lady comes on the PA and starts reading results, I freeze, forgetting my next move. 

Think quick, think quick! I look over at the table as if to chastise the woman, then remember the next set of moves. I complete, then step back. Results are read, and I win the silver medal. I feel happy, especially as one Sensei comes over to congratulate me and says "that was very unexpected!"

I did not enter Karate to be competitive with others. If I had a choice, and I knew what the event entailed, I may not have entered this event. I felt obligated, and was led to believe the whole club was coming, yet there was only a handful of us. I could have done a better Kata, smoother movements, and kept concentration throughout. Something to work on!

Active Living, Interests & Pursuits - Karate #2

Mon April 4th - Grading for belt

I have not done Karate for 4 weeks, as we went on a trip around South East Asia, visiting Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam. I asked one of the Sensei if I should wait to grade test for my first belt, and she said one year she practiced on the beaches in Europe. I didn't do that!

So, I arrive at practice and Sheian tells me to grade. I have had no explanation as to the format, what I have to do - I simply was told to read the syllabus, so I stand with two other students, who are about 7 years old. They are called forward first and perform a series of moves to Sensei's command. He is sat behind a table, and is staring at the boys, watching every move. 

I am called forward and start following the instructions. I am trying to remember what the boys did, but I am having a hard time remembering. I do not feel stressed, I actually relax, as I feel that I am probably not going to pass, as I have heard that grading is hard, and some of the adults often fail a couple of tests. I am not too hard on myself, as I haven't practiced for a few weeks.

Sensei is stone faced. He gives nothing away. Similar to a driving instructor, I know when I have done something wrong, as he puts his head down and writes something. After performing basic moves I am asked to do Kumite. I have no idea what that is. Another member of the club (Green belt) is asked to come forward and he explains what to do, as we are doing it! Again I don't feel stressed, but feel a little ill-prepared. The testing ends and I head home.

I get no feedback.

Mon April 11th

At the very end of the class I am called forward to accept my certificate for 8th Kyu. I am surprised, get a round of applause from the club, and head to the front to collect my certificate. I head home disappointed. I am happy I passed, but I thought I was getting a yellow belt. I only passed half the test.

Thur Apr 14th

One of the instructors congratulates me on passing the test. She says I should put 2 stripes on my belt. I ask why 2, and she says I passed both levels, and goes on to explain that I wasn't testing for yellow, but I passed the full test! I am relieved! I have always set myself very high (sometimes unachievable) goals, and am happy to start my journey on the belt ladder. 

Romania bans trophy hunting of brown bears, wolves, lynx and wild cats

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/oct/05/romania-bans-trophy-hunting-of-brown-bears-wolves-lynx-and-wild-cats

Active Living Interests & pursuits - Karate 1

Oct 5th 2016 - Intro

(credit:google images)

Daniel (Ralph Macchio) moves to Southern California with his mother, Lucille (Randee Heller), but quickly finds himself the target of a group of bullies who study karate at the Cobra Kai dojo. Fortunately, Daniel befriends Mr. Miyagi (Noriyuki "Pat" Morita), an unassuming repairman who just happens to be a martial arts master himself. Miyagi takes Daniel under his wing, training him in a more compassionate form of karate and preparing him to compete against the brutal Cobra Kai.

Like most kids of a similar age (aged 11) after seeing 'The Karate Kid' film I wanted to take karate lessons. I took a book out of the library and would practice moves in my bedroom, using a pillow as a punching bag.

Unfortunately, I was busy playing football (soccer) September to May and cricket April to September, and so my Mum said I had to give up one of the sports if I wanted to take Karate. That was not going to happen! 
By the age of 14, some of my friends started to drop football, taking different forms of martial arts. They would 'wow' me in the school yard at lunchtime, demonstrating some of their new 'moves', but I loved football too much.

Last year I had a 4th knee operation (2 on each knee), lateral meniscus trim, and medial meniscus repair. The surgeon consoled me, stating that it was basic wear and tear and that there is nothing I could have done to prevent the injury - bar stop playing sports. Team sports had been such a huge part of my life, and I had played them for various reason: stay fit; social aspect; competition. However, at aged 40, I decided maybe it's time to hang up the football boots, but what was I going to do now? 

April 2015

Just a month before our wedding, we are in a local flower shop ordering our bouquets, when I see a poster for Karate lessons in White Rock. The owner starts telling me that it's his Dad who runs to class, but is injured with a bad back right now and so the class isn't running. 

(credit: Google Images)

A few weeks later, in a local Starbucks I see a poster for another Karate school based in White Rock. I take down the info, email the club and make the decision to 'do Karate'. 

Mon Nov 16th 2015

I turn up at the hall in White Rock at 6pm. I am nervous as i don't know what to expect. I don't know if it is a large or small club, but it seems there are only a few kids here. As the session is starting a Japanese instructor walks over and tells me...

"Adults 7pm - Thursday!", then walks away.

I leave, and am a little 'miffed'. I was told by email to turn up at 6, and that there were sessions Monday AND Thursday, I return home. 

Thur Nov 19th 2015

It would be easy to think that this was 'a sign' that it wasn't meant to be, but I don't listen to those voices. I had made the decision to try something new for various reasons. 

- I had waited a long time to do Karate. Not a martial art. Just Karate.

- I am no longer playing team sports, and want to do something active.

- I felt I needed a challenge.

I return to the same venue on Thursday at 7pm. I meet Nina and Hardeep, two black belt instructors and am led onto the mat. I stand at the back left of the gym and we start a warm up. I am completely lost. I am given no individual verbal instruction and we move into doing some punching moves. I am sweating profusely by 10 minutes in. Am I that physically unfit?

After the warm up, I head over to the bare floor area and work with Nina. We do some 'down blocks', 'face block' and 'inside blocks'. She shows the move a couple of times and then starts to count, wanting me to do the move on her count. I freeze....looking at her, waiting for some feedback. I get none. Why can't I remember what we just did? 

My body is tired, but my mind is overloaded with trying to remember the choreography of these moves. After what seems like 10 mins (but was in fact 30) we take a couple of minutes break. After I am instructed that I can leave and return at the same time next class, Monday. The rest of the class continue working and I wonder if I am in fact welcome at the class.

Mon Nov 30th

I waited a full week to return to class, thinking about whether it was what I wanted, if it was what I would enjoy and if I was welcome. I decided to go back.

This time Sensei Hardeep introduced himself and explained some of the procedural aspects of the dojo, e.g. bow as we enter the dojo, bow as we step on the mat. We did the warm up and then did some work on the hardwood floor. As I try too hard to perform the punches I am told, 
"relax the shoulders, don't look down, don't lean forward, don't forget to fully retract, don't forget to use your hip!".
I found the whole training session very overwhelming. I likened it to French Immersion, where I see these students at school fumbling through French grammar. 

Kids who play more outdoors may be less likely to have problems with peers - CBC article

Found this article this week online. As a PE teacher found it interesting, thought I would share, as it is applicable to the current course topics and any parents/prospective parents.


http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/outdoor-time-kids-statscan-1.3772106

Kids who spend more time outdoors seem to gain a boost in their peer relations, according to a new report from Statistics Canada.

On Wednesday, the agency released a report on outdoor time, physical activity and sedentary time and health indicators of Canadians aged 7 to 14.

Canadian guidelines suggest that kids between five and 17 years old get at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per day. Only nine per cent of children do. (The rule of thumb is if you're able to carry on a conversation easily then you're not working hard enough.)

• Participaction's prescription for healthy play: get the kids outside
• Have children lost the art of play?
   

Each additional hour spent outdoors was associated with:

• 7 more minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity.
• 762 more steps.
• 13 fewer minutes of sedentary time.

As well, children reporting more time outdoors were less likely to have peer relationship problems compared with those who spent less time outside, Mark Tremblay of the Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and his team said in Health Reports.

The study extends the evidence of an association between time spent outdoors, physical activity and less sedentary time in a nationally representative sample.

Overall, children who spent more time outdoors were less likely to have peer relationship problems and better psychosocial health, based on scores such as functioning and aggression.

The more you're out interacting with real people, neighbours, adults and children, the more children develop their skills, Tremblay said.

"I think we have a fear of the outdoors and it's ill founded. We also seem to have security with the indoors, which is also ill founded," Tremblay said in an interview from Nairobi, Kenya.

Canada is getting safer but parents are often afraid to let their children play outside.

"We have a real disconnect between what we believe is good for kids and what really is good for kids."

Reconnecting with nature could help children to become resilient, such as bundling up to handle cold, wet weather, instead of being pampered indoors, Tremblay said.

No cause and effect relationships can be draw from the data but some studies following people over time in different parts of the world suggest a strong association, he said.  

Who are the fittest?

Separately, Tremblay and an international research team from CHEO and the University of North Dakota also studied the aerobic fitness levels of children and youth from across 50 countries.

The researchers analyzed 20-meter shuttle data, also called the beep test, from 1.1 million kids aged 9 to 17 years old. It's a popular field-based test of aerobic fitness levels.

If all the kids were to line up for a race, the average Canadian would place just above the middle of the pack. In general, South Americans were the worst.

The highlights include:

• Top 5 fittest countries: Tanzania, Iceland, Estonia, Norway, Japan.
• Canada placed 19 out of 50.
• U.S.A. placed 47 out of 50
• The least fit was Mexico.

There was a consistent relationship between higher inequality being associated with lower aerobic fitness, Tremblay said.

The Canadian study was based on a nationally representative sample of 1,159 people aged 7 to 14 who participated in the 2012/2013 Canadian Health Measures Survey. Participants wore accelerometers for several days to record physical activity levels. 

Self Care

Defining/describing self care through the following areas: 

MIND; BODY; SOUL (or spirit) and SOCIAL (or emotional).

As I have matured/got older/grown up (depends who you ask!) my self care, and opinion of self care has changed. Throughout secondary school I was playing a lot of competitive sport, so the by-product was a healthy body, even if that was not the intended focus. This did bring with it lots of injuries and I lacked the awareness and understanding to take my time, recoup and rehabilitate the injury and would rush back into competition as early as possible. Due to the high demands of sport, little time was left for school work, so often sleep was sacrificed as I would work late into the night to complete assignments.

This pattern continued through University, until I went travelling. There was no significant event that made me sit and say 'Ahhhh, I MUST do that!", but the culmination of experiences deepened my awareness of a need to actually take care of myself, and not just my body. I do recall a conversation with my best mate, Martin, who was never one to pull punches, and he basically stated I was burning the candle at both ends.

http://aaronsagoge.blogspot.ca
I thought about what he meant by this, and for once he made sense!

Body

My degree was in Sports Science, and as a PE Teacher I understand the need to be physically active. Over the years the sports have changed, but now perhaps more than ever I understand the importance of rest. If my body is tired, I now know it is OK to miss a day at the gym. The rest day is as important as the workout day. I also ensure I get enough sleep each night and when I do get an injury, I get it checked, rest, rehab and wait until the injury has healed before returning to activity.

Social/Emotional

I love to socialize and have a beer (I blame my British genes) and am not a person that needs solitude to charge my engine. Sometimes quite the opposite. A night at the pub with friends, telling stories or playing a quiz 'fills my cup' much more than relaxing at home. I do, however, love playing with the cats at home, with one of them in particular fulfilling my cuddle cup.

(Photo:Selfie:A Verbal Meow of consent was given by Bella)

Soul/Spirit

I LOVE travel and as cliched as it sounds, it fuels my soul. Being in a place (that I preferably can't speak the language) and experiencing new sights and sounds rejuvenates me far quicker than chilling at home. To be honest, I find it difficult to explain. I often (purposefully) drift off into a day dream, thinking about locals I have observed on my travels, and think about them going about their daily lives as I sit at home, getting on with my life. I can talk 'travel' for hours, and love hearing peoples stories and adventures.

Mind

I do feel that this is by far my weakest area of self care. My creative/active mind gets 'fired' or 'worked' through playing the drums, and doing photography, but I know I do not give enough time to mindfulness/meditation or rest. I have practiced yoga in the past, perhaps not enough to become spiritually satisfied from a yoga session, and until the past few weeks have never even thought about mindful practices. After our session 3 weeks ago, I went home and did some more reading/youtubing about mindfulness/meditation and downloaded this app.

(photo credit:apple store)

I tried it out, and did my first ever 6 minute meditation. I did find it difficult to concentrate, and it is definitely a skill I must work at.

In summary, I feel that self care is discovering what you need as an individual physically, socially, emotionally and mentally, and ensuring you work towards meeting your own needs to maintain a healthy lifestyle balance.