Stiffness

February 22, 2010 - 8:53pm | 3 posts

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Stiffness

Hi Esther, I'd like to once again thank you for your beautiful book. I carry it around with me and have convinced a handful of people to purchase it. I have asked a question regarding meditation before. I practice zen buddhism and have recently been trying incorporate what I have learned from your book into my lotus posture. I am feeling stiffness in my trap area even after doing the shoulder rolls. Do you have any recommendations? Do these techniques become more relaxed feeling with time? Also, is it unwise to engage the inner corset during zazen? I look forward to the class that is being offered in June in the Washington D.C area. Gassho, Al

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February 22, 2010 - 9:29pm | 1 post

Esther Gokhale

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09/10/2008 - 8:36pm

I sat sesshin for many years in Rochester until we had three children and Roshi Mel Weitsman pointed out that my practice was now raising children! As you are reporting stiffness in the shoulders and wondering about using the inner corset in sitting, I suspect that you are not stacking your bones quite optimally. Perhaps you need a higher support cushion? Perhaps you are in the habit of swaying your back? Perhaps you are unwittingly holding your shoulders back further than they want to rest. Look for a position where there is no holding or stiffness in the shoulders and no need for the inner corset. Don't try for a perfect shoulder position from the start. it's okay if they hang forward a little - the position will improve with time. I look forward to meeting you in the D.C. area. Please do spread the word. Have you received our flyer yet? We haven't been as successful in reaching people this year and would love to be able to continue bringing this work to people. Best, Esther

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February 23, 2010 - 12:58pm | 1 post

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Esther, Thanks for the advice. I'm pretty young(31)and have been an athlete all of my life(pro baseball), so my posture isn't half bad to start with. I also have almost always sat on the floor at home and on my sits bones on the front edge of a chair. Its just something I always did. When I did the test for my pelvis and back curve in the "Stacksitting" chapter, I had a "Normal" curve. I think I was over tensing to morph to an ideal. I listened to an audio interview you did and picked up on a few things I didn't get from the book. I really think you should record instructions for each chapter in an Mp3 download and record a DVD. I did not get the brochure. I will tell as many folks as possible. I run a personal training facility and want all of my clients to benefit from this work. Regards, Al