Liberal Arts Blog — The Angle of the Head, the Nasal Breath, the Smile
Liberal Arts Blog — Saturday is the Joy of Sports, Dance, Fitness, and All Things Physical Day
Today’s Topic: The Angle of the Head, the Nasal Breath, the Smile (re-visited)
Periodically, I like to step back and wrap things up. I write a lot. What, if anything, is worth remembering? If you have ever gone through this exercise, please share the results. Experts — please chime in. Correct, elaborate, elucidate.
THE ANGLE OF THE HEAD, THE NASAL BREATH, THE SMILE
1. Every breath you take is a chance to become a better you. A chance to adjust the angle of the head to optimize not only your feeling about yourself and the world but to optimize the world’s impression of you — to boost your own confidence and the world’s confidence in you.
2. A chance to adjust your breathing to optimize the oxygen flowing to your brain and your own nitric oxide production. Nasal breathing guarantees a deep breath.
3. A chance to smile in appreciation for the joys of life, love, and the universe, and through your spirit inspire others to do likewise. We are a mimetic species.
NB: The great guru of posture and breathing was F. Matthias Alexander (1869–1945) whose techniques have been used by ballet, drama, and opera companies around the world. See photo above.
THE SCIENCE OF HITTING, THE HAPPY ZONE MATRIX, MATH MATTERS
1. Self-awareness is key to performance improvement.
2. Do the math. What are you good at? What are you bad at?
3. Play the odds.
NB: Can you turn a weakness into a strength? To me, the above graphic is the best visualization of the Socratic injunction to “Know Yourself.”
DAILY, BALANCED, COMPACT PROGRAM
1. Make it even simpler: squats, push-ups, jumping jacks.
2. The “Tabata” work-out takes 4 minutes.
3. For a more leisurely routine, how about waltzing?
NB: Rigorous fitness programs should be mandatory not optional in schools.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/02/warren-buffett-simplifies-investing-with-a-baseball-analogy.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Air_Force_Exercise_Plans
For the last three years of posts organized by theme:
PDF with headlines — Google Drive
YOUR TURN
Please share the coolest thing you learned this week related to sports, dance, fitness. Or the coolest thing you learned about Sports, Dance, of Fitness in your life — whether on the field, on the dance floor or in the gym, whether from a coach, a parent, a friend, or just your own experimentation.
This is your chance to make some one else’s day. Or even change their life. It’s perhaps a chance to put into words something you have never articulated before. And to cement in your own memory something cool you might otherwise forget. Or to think more deeply than otherwise about something dear to your heart.
