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Wander or dance to exhaustion in utter spontaneity. Then, suddenly, drop to the ground and in this fall be total. There absolute essence is revealed.

~ Vijnanabhairava Tantra, verse 111

Each of has the desire (yes?) to become ~ with each breath we take, with each step of our lives ~ more fully alive And yet there is the paradox that each breath we take, each step of our lives, brings us one step, one breath closer to our death. So how do we work with this? Is there a solution to this paradox?

The traditions of Buddhism as well as Kashmir Shaivism see (the appearance of) this life of ours as training-ground for (the appearance of) that moment of our death. They resolve the paradox through the understanding that only by training ~ in every moment ~ in the art of being fully alive, fully present here and now, in this moment, in this moment, in this moment ~ only through a practice such as this are we able then to be fully present (fully alive!) at the moment of our death.

The quotation above, from the Vijnanabhairava Tantra (a text written by the Shaivite school of Kashmir around the first century A.D.), points to such a resolution. Lets take a closer look

Wander or dance to exhaustion in utter spontaneity. Have you ever danced, or performed any other activity, so completely, with such total abandon, such love and absorption, that the point of exhaustion (what distance runners call the wall) opens into a whole new realm of experience, puts you in touch with a whole new flow of energy/inspiration? Its the moment when years of training (our accumulated expertise) is allowed to open, to fall away into a mindless spontaneity when movement becomes both divinely precise and effortless (Michael Jordan, Baryshnikov, & Jet Li come to mind here) when I am no longer doing anything, yet all things are still manifesting, radiantly, perfectly. In the language of Taoism this state of effortless doing is called Wu Wei.

Then, suddenly, drop to the ground and in this fall be total. Have you ever gone out on a warm summer night, laid on your back on a grassy hillside, and let your mind & heart & vision travel out into the starry sky, with its countless galaxies? When we surrender, we surrender completely no holding back. We let the whole thing dissolve. We die into the present moment. In the language of Tibetan Buddhism, this is called the Completion Stage.

There absolute essence is revealed. What if the essence of life and the essence of death were one and the same? What if both our wandering and our dancing were expressions of that one essence, and equally wise? What if we could touch ~ with each breath, each step, each of our awakened daily activities ~ the sweetness & power that is this essence?

And now, please feel free . to Dance!

Elizabeth Reninger holds a Masters degree in Chinese medicine, is a published poet, and has been exploring Yoga - in its Taoist, Buddhist & Hindu varieties ~ for more than twenty years. Her teachers include Richard Freeman and Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche. To read more of her yoga-related essays, please visit her website: http://www.writingup.com/blog/elizabeth_reninger

posted by 46124  # 2:14 PM 0 comments

The biomechanics of the golf swing refers to your exact movements as well as your body motion you take when you swing the golf club. In order to hit the ball far and accurately, using the appropriate biomechanics is going to be essential. Once you have worked on your biomechanics you will begin to be more confident on the golf course which will enabled you to score better.

Below you will find some important tips on the biomechanics of the golf swing. By learning and implementing these golf swing body motions and concepts, you will begin to improve your golf game, which should allow you to have more fun during your next round of golf.

You need to realize that balance is an essential part of your golf swing biomechanics. To help you achieve good balance, start with a sturdy swing foundation when you address the ball. Space your feet a little more than shoulder's width apart and let your arms hang comfortably when you are setting up to the ball. Make sure you don't reach forward towards the golf ball or have your arms too close to your body.

You need to pay attention to your swing plane. An even swing plane that consistently follows the same arc with every swing is a key to having a good golf swing.

Make sure to keep a consistent swing speed, which is an essential part of the biomechanics of the golf swing. this will help with your golf swing rhythm, and you should aim to have the same rhythm no matter what golf club you are using. Remember, when you increase golf swing speed you will also increase ball flight distance, but you should never swing so fast that it causes you to lose your balance.

The biomechanics of the golf swing is determined by your body working together as a whole and it is the core of your body that will be the key in your swing movement. Your arms, wrists, shoulders, or hips are not where you should concentrate when working on your biomechanics. You should work on your core body movement and coordination of all body parts involved in your golf swing.

Biomechanics of your golf swing will be improved if your body is in good shape. Try some exercises that are specifically designed to help a golfer tone the right areas for improving his golf game. You need to be concentrating on your flexibility and strength when participating in golf exercises. Another key to remember is to always stretch immediately before your round of golf, which can greatly improve your golf swing performance.

For more information on improving your golf swing in record time, go to Biomechanics of the Golf Swing

posted by 46124  # 10:55 AM 0 comments

swing plane. To be honest, this is a little understood position in the golf swing. Actually it's not really a position that you can put yourself into. It's more like a place that varies and you go through the places.

Kind of like a roadway. One that is on an angle.

Try this in your mind. If you are old enough you will remember the hoola hoop. For those who don't, it's just a piece of plastic that is exactly round. It is, maybe four feet or so in diameter. Got it? The use of it is not important for this discussion.

But the shape of it is.

So let's make a hoola hoop that measures three feet more than your height in diameter. So if you are five feet eight inches tall, then your hoola hoop will be eight feet, eight inches in diameter.

So no matter your height you will have the correct size hoola hoop if you just add three feet to it's diameter over your height.

That was easy. Right?

So to get an understanding of what swing plane is and how it affects your golf swing let's do the following.

Take your hoola hoop and stand it straight up and down. Or vertical. Perpendicular to the ground.

Now step inside it. Put you feet on top of it. And just stand on it. It should be exactly three feet over your head.

If this were your swing plane could you hit a golf ball? this means that your club would follow the hoola hoop up and down and all around it. So if you did that with the hoola hoop in this position, could you hit a golf ball?

Remember we are doing this mentally. So for you that are looking for your hoola hoop, it's in your head. No where else.

Now place a golf ball on the ground, and get into a set up position to the ball. Take the bottom of the hoola hoop and place it on top of the golf ball. Mentally! In your head.

Now lean the hoola hoop toward you. Now you should be standing inside the hoola hoop. And the hoola hoop is leaning toward you at some unknown angle.

this angle is a swing plane. It is the roadway that your club will travel. And it is an angle.

You have heard the terms, flat swing or upright swing, these are terms of swing plane. No two people would have the exact same angle or swing plane. It is something that is your own. But you do have control over it.

You can vary your swing plane just by standing more upright or by bending over more. Bending over more will result in your hoola hoop being a tad flatter and standing up right will give you a more upright swing plane.

So the path you club travels relative to an angle to the ground is swing plane. It is not the same thing as just swing path. swing path doesn't include the angle and is more relative to the target line. Like is it an inside out or outside in swing path.

So swing plane and swing path or clubhead path are not the same animal and we are talking about swing plane. It's an angle.

One that the club travels on and it is generally thought of as only on the downswing.

There are several types of swing planes as well. Single plane and two plane.

Now it gets a bit dicey. I think I will save that conversation for another time. Let's just say that most players have a different plane on the downswing than they had on the backswing.

Once again Jim Furyk comes to mind. That would be a perfect example of a two plane swinger. Two plane is generally more up right while a single plane swinger would be flatter. Or more around.

Taller people often prefer to use a two plane swing. Shorter folks often do better with a more round or one plane swing. But not always. want to test drive one of them?

Let's just try a one plane swing for the heck of it.

Ok .. get into your set up position. We are going to change your grip first just a bit. You will want to have a stronger right hand on the clubhead. More to the right or on the side of the club, careful not to get it under the club.

Make sure in your setup that you have ample knee flex and you have bent over from the hips a tad more than you may have normally. Now take the club away making sure you have a bent right wrist. Bent back toward your forearm. Keep your spine angle the same as set up. Turn to the right and load up onto the right leg.

Now instead of lifting your arms up above your shoulders, take them around your right shoulder. Flat. Almost like a baseball swing. I said almost, you can get too flat, we don't want that.

Your right wrist should be bent back and in the trayed position. Your hands should be slightly behind your right shoulder and lower than you are used to. You should have maintained your spine angle that you had at set up. And your left shoulder should be visible under your chin.

Now bump your hips left and keep you right elbow close to your body. Fire the whole thing at the ball from the inside. Go hard at hit from this very powerful position. this is not a place for sissies. Your objective is to more or less fling the clubhead at the ball using your bodies excellent shift from the right side to the left side. this is a wicked powerful move.

this flatter swing will help get inside the ball while providing tremendous power and accuracy as long as you do all the other moves correctly too.

This swing plane is the most direct route to the ball. But be cautious, it isn't for everyone. Some are much better suited for a two plane swing that is more upright.

The objective here is not to convince you to use one or the other. More to help explain what swing plane is.

It's an angle.

I love angles in the golf swing. It is truly the source of power and accuracy. Angles equal leverage, leverage equal power, power equals distance. No angles no leverage no leverage no power no power no distance.

Here are some angles to look for. The angle between the right wrist and the right forearm, the angle between the club shaft and the right arm, the angle of the swing plane, the angle of your spine at set up. All great angles that, fi done correctly will be maintained throughout the swing and into impact.

Power is a result of great angles.

swing plane is not really an exciting topic, I know that. But it is part of the whole picture. One thing that is exciting are the four magic moves that are new and little known.

Get the first one free. click here. http://www.ebooksbestbuy.com/golf

posted by 46124  # 7:32 AM 0 comments