You likely know this line already…

‘When you’re balanced physically your more likely to be balanced mentally’

Then, as you become increasingly more sound of mind, that present moment energy loops back and balance confidence improves even more.

Before we get to this weeks focus on mental balance, here is a quick anatomical journey through the body of what you need for good physical balance:

• Ankles that are flexible and strong
• Knees that are supportive
• Hips that are aligned well to the pelvis
• Stable SI joints
• A core that activates naturally (no holding of abs)
• A relaxed torso (moveable spine and ribs)
• Free flowing shoulders and shoulder girdle
• Head/neck aligned (watch out for looking down)
• Relaxed vision
• An overall calm nervous system

Good news…
Dojiva classes have a focus on functional movement so we continuously cover all these areas. 

What happens when the mind is distracted

Well, we all get a bit wobbly now and then!

I sure we have all experienced how stress an...

To maintain a balanced body, most of our Dojiva classes have a four factor approach. First, we sense in (inner listening). Second, we move an area to assess the range of flexibility and/or strength). Then we do a series of exercises before returning to sensing to compare the effect.

To help raise awareness and embodiment, we often do this on one side of the body and then ‘sense in’ before changing sides. The registering of difference is great for mind-body connection.

Furthermore, it gives us great intellectual and physical information and we can use this knowledge to avoid future injuries.

As new information comes to light, it can help you decide how hard to exercise and whether any imbalance needs assistance from a masseur, physio, osteopath, etc.

Here’s a list of benefits that you can enjoy when balance is good:

• Improved movement confidence in gait and with chores 
• General self confidence 
• Greater efficiency with sports
• You are less likely to fall over
• Posture tends to i...

This month, I have a simple goal… that you feel a noticeable improvement in your balance. 

These past eight weeks of write ups and classes we have drawn inspiration from a matrix of four key disciplines:

• Martial arts
• Conditioning (functional fitness)
• Pilates
• Yoga 

These all help with your sense of balance so you should be ready to hit-the-ground-running as this becomes our focus for the month of August.

Balance is key aspect of physical health and general safety and that’s why so many of our Dojiva classes include practices that challenge and enhance your balance. 

Balance requires a refinement of four common movement qualities:

• Strength
• Suppleness
• Coordination
• Postural alignment

And, three non-movement qualities:

• Confidence
• Awareness
• Being more grounded (more mentally here)

Overall, balance is more on the subtle side of movement so for those who like the dynamic, it can easily get neglected. And if you’re not very good at balance that’s another reason it m...

It seems to be a human trait to seek pleasure and avoid pain. And that the avoidance of pain/discomfort is a stronger pull than the desire to move towards pleasure/fun. It may go back to a primal thing…survival first, play later.

Furthermore, it tends to be easier to be present at times of enjoyment and positivity, but it’s all to easy to find an escape as soon as pain arises.

We touched on a similar subject back in April when we focused on listening to the body as part of sharpening the senses series. That was more focused on the mind/emotions and this week is more about awareness and management of physical pain.

You may have gathered this already, but here’s the primary Dojiva message in one sentence:

“Above all else, my goal is to provide inspiring writings and embodied classes that awaken and develop presence”.

Why? Because presence increases your potential for so much. E.g:

• A body that functions with efficiency
• A mind that is clear
• Focus and productivity at work
• The opp...

In truth, there is not a hierarchy to movement. So performing a dull chore is not in anyway less significant than playing your favourite sport. I believe this approach will send an important message to your body that you are listening and that you care.  

Before we get to this week’s focus on mindful movement, here is a list of environmental factors that can support your journey to a healthy body. These include:

• A diet that is nutrient dense while being low in toxins
• Avoiding pollutants (chemicals in house/garden/bathroom cabinet/utility room cupboard, etc).
• A regular and varied exercise programme that honours your goals and matches your capabilities
• Non formal exercise movement such as chores, gardening, manual work and daily walks
• Stress in check
• Good quality sleep (early to bed, early to rise and consistent with timing) 
• Time spent in nature and allowing time to step back to contemplate
• Reduce exposure to EMF’s (from screens, modems, lighting, power sockets)
• Positivity o...

Recently, we’ve had two cluster write ups about Pilates, then two on fitness, two on martial arts and we complete this series with two weeks of philosophy and classes from the wonders of yoga.

Yoga arrived later in my teaching career but it wasn’t long before I realised it was an important missing piece. I taught a Saturday morning class over a ten year period and I learned and developed a great deal. And I hope my students gained some physical and mental benefits too.

Lessons from yoga:

• Yoga teaches us about the sacred side of movement
• It offers great variety from strength training (so many new exercises to master)
• There is a big focus on how to control the breath
• Meditation becomes easier and it helps to clear the subconscious mind
• It develops subtle listening skills
• Grounding - you tend to be more present
• Calmness/stress management - the overall experience from yoga helps the mind to be more relaxed during and after class
• This can also help to manage anxiety and depressi...

The discipline to keep showing up, the self bow and the commitment to personal development… these qualities are what Dojiva is really about.

There are many types of exercise that will keep you fit. Here’s a list of ten and at some point, I have taught all of these!

1. Aerobics/step
2. Circuit training
3. Spinning
4. Boxercise (martial fitness)
5. Martial arts
6. Interval training/HIIT
7. The gym (with strength machines, free weights and CV machines)
8. Pilates
9. Yoga
10. Dance (I’m a Shakti Dance teacher)

Then of course there is all manner of sports and everything from the world of athletics that can also keep you very fit.

If I was to choose just one of all these, one that most people find full-filling, one that gets great results and is enjoyable, hands down, it would be:

martial fitness

Now, this is different from martial arts which involves contact, a uniform and all the Dojo etiquette. Martial fitness shares many of the same principles but is something that you can do at home either on your ...

It is often said that martial arts build character. What you may not realise is that they do this by breaking that character down. At least breaking down all that is false… that’s all the untruths and any negative beliefs that sometimes creep in and affect life. 

It doesn’t matter if you have ever set foot in a Dojo or ever plan to take up a martial art in the future, you should find that the classes in this week’s cluster are fun, functional and fulfilling!

“How do martial arts relate to me”, you might ask

Well, I believe we all have an innate knowing and ancestry that lives within us on some level and this can show up our actions, movement and intuition. 

As you may know from our healthy eating write ups, I am a big fan of eating whole foods that are ancestrally consistent (so not modern processed foods that have a long list of ingredients).

Another part of primal living would have been the physical side of survival and a typical month would have seen hunting, foraging, climbing...

For safety and success with exercise, there needs to be a match of what the mind thinks is possible and the body’s actual capacity. One could easily outdo the other!

There are many ways that you can pick up an injury. Some are more acute and often unexpected whereas others are more chronic and caused by a repetitive motion with poor body mechanics. 

In both cases, a heightened sense body awareness is always the number one prevention strategy.

But there is a close second, and that’s about keeping your body honed and challenged with regular resistance training. Why? Because it builds:

• Strength
• Balance
• Movement confidence
• Joint resiliency
• And of course it boosts metabolism like nothing else!

Furthermore, with extra muscle mass and less adipose, if you do get injured, sick or have a surgery, you’re more likely to bounce back better and quicker.

Muscle really is your best health pension; so keep building and storing… it can only serve you.

Are you setting yourself up injury?

When you train and move your body in a natural, wholistic and flowing way, something amazing happens on the inside. You start to awaken and develop the more subtle muscles and connective tissues. These provide an inner support that we need for life, chores, exercise, sport and postural alignment.

Before we get to today’s focus, here is a quick note about body balance. Ideally, your body comes to balance with itself… a balance:

• From left to right
• Front to back
• Core to periphery
• Upper body to lower body, and one more thing:
• You need flexibility and strength to come to balance with each other

Too much or too little of either one and movement efficiency declines while risk of physical tension/injuries increase. To help you achieve this balance, the Dojiva membership site has a category called Mobility with over 175 videos.

Although these seven day clusters give you a suggested themed guide, you can use the site’s search icon 🔍 and rehab section to find just the class you need.