CRESTED BUTTE COLORADO:
Upon arriving Mid Week into this little ski town, the mountain ranges were just beginning to show their rich Fall Line of Colors. As you can see by this first photo, plenty of Aspen Trees have yet to turn. I giggled with joy by the prolific amount of wildflowers STILL BLOOMING in September.
But Day By Day, WoW
CB plays host to Vinotok around this time every year. Liar's Liar starts the week off were community members gather at Kochevars to hear and tell tales. This was perhaps the most naughty, raucous evening for sure.
The next evening is when everyone is welcome to share in a locally harvested feast. Live music, cash bar, wreath making stations, poetry, and short story readings by local writes were all sprinkled throughout the streets. The town of CB made it very clear to wear your warmest Vinotok best, no utensils will be provided so bring your own, and this feast WILL happen Rain OR Shine.
In Slovenian traditions, so I was told by a local group of gals, effigies were burned on the boss man's lawn as a rib. These effigies have morphed into the GRUMP, a symbol of what we want to release from the previous year. Or What Has Stood In Our Way
On Vinotok Day as the mummers made their way through restaurants, dancing to the drummers beat, everyone was ushered down to the four way stop of Elk Ave. There, about three days of prep work to fabricate the offering, stood a wooden structure on top of about 6 inches of road base material. As the torch ignited this massive structure, the crowd whipped into a frenzy with wolf like tendencies. We all took turns releasing our GRUMP to the flames. I personally felt a huge weight lifted from my shoulders. This Took Place On The 21st, One Year To The Date Of The Boy Dogs Passing. UNREAL YET BEAUTIFUL
But this Vinotok Festival wasn't why I was in CB and I was completely unaware of how this tradition would marry my schedule. Pleased by this byproduct, I made the trek to CB for a Three Day Ortho-Bionomy Retreat. Our classes were centered around Car Accidents, Whiplash, And How All That Trauma Is Stored In Our Bodies.
ORTHO BIONOMY:
Day One was an absolute blast. I can't even express the visceral feeling when I see old familiar faces before walking into class. We all share hugs, short snippets of were we are these days, and cheerfully made our way into the classroom.
Morning consisted of everyones car wreck stories and going over concepts of directional forces. This opening circle took a wheeeee bit longer than I anticipated but still obviously needed and very real.
After a short break, we watched a demo regarding the relationship between the hips, the acetabulum, and the femur as the result of the lap belt restraint injuries. We then partnered up and went to work. My partner laid down first and I worked from their calcaneus, through their knee, and into the hip joint. I kept this VERY simple and finished with a relaxing medial rotation and rebound/rocking of their femur.
I explained to my partner that we have three days of bodywork coming and this is NOT a session. These are just pieces we are exploring. She agreed and worked on me briefly. We finished up and noticed how everyone in the room was working else where than just the original hip demo. She smiled and shook her head in that gratitude way of saying thanx and WoW.
The afternoon was spent discussing what we learned and moving on towards fascia/connective tissue types of injuries. Or specifically, the three main components of connective tissue. i.e. Cells, Fibers, & Ground Substance. This section of the day was a good wake up call for me. I am usually dissecting muscles and bones and "forget" soft tissue damage. Team Human
Day Two opened up with how everyone was feeling, were we had questions or clarifications from the previous day, and a slide presentation of where/why/how we would be proceeding ahead. Mostly structured around the fascia of the body. That morning flew right on by. During our lunch walk, the gals poked fun at me for packing yet another lunch, the hillsides showed us their glory. Something Special
My favorite or my own aha moment section of the course began that afternoon when we worked with the sacrum/coccyx and the xiphoid process. This resinated so clearly with me and made sense with how this twist shows up in the body during/after a car accident. The idea is that you are wearing your lap belt and over the shoulder strap, you are hit from the front or from the rear, and your torso rotates towards the free/unrestrained shoulder during impact. What effects from this violent impact shows up in your tailbone/sternum relationship???
My partner during this particular piece had all kinds of re-alinment and an old engrams from a past accident bubbling up. It was fascinating really. I stayed solid in my sit bones, grounded my feet, and offered her the opportunity to process. After we worked together, pat on my back moment, my mentor walks by and mentions how my skills have deepened enormously. I so needed that acknowledgment and APPRECIATED it as well. For me, I am not old by any means but one of the elders of the group for sure. Again, the rest of the class was treating these pieces AS A SESSION and would pay for this dearly by day three. YIKES
After lunch, I enjoyed my sandwich, received grief for bringing another sack lunch, was thankful that I didn't shell out $11 for lunch, began working with the mesentery and fascia as an organ proprioception. All bodies in motion generates electric fields that are caused by the compression, deformation, and stretching of our ligaments, tendons, fascia, bone, and other collagen based connective tissue. In nerve like fashion these messages spread throughout the surrounding tissues like ripples on a pond, providing information to other areas of the body. These messages travel through the water based cellular matrix at about 750 mph as opposed to just 150 mph that nerve messages travel. In My Model Of The World, The Mesentery IS The Gut Brain.
Day Three commenced with another Opening Circle. This allows folks to share their stories, what they have noticed, and where or what direction fits the structure of the day. We dove into the anatomy of the brain, fluids, and the skull in general. You see, the head is designed to sustain frontal or rear impact but NOT lateral flection.
We went through more slides and the designs of seatbelt, headrest, and exposure to the unforeseeable events. Like Side Impact WHILE Texting
Not because of any accidents or trauma, I needed this neck piece. Day One, Hips!! Day Two, Thoracic!! Now, My Neck Could Use The Work
Working with the anterior neck, our demo focused on the Longus Colli and Longus Capitis. Most everyone is familiar with the SCM and Scalene Muscles. The Longus Capitis Muscle is a sizable band of tissue that stretches from the cervical vertebrae to the bottom (occiput) of the skull. This LC Muscle is responsible for much of the necks mobility.
The Longus Colli Muscle is found on the anterior side of the vertebral column along the neck. That muscle connects the atlas with the third thoracic vertebra in the upper back. This muscle contains three sections: Superior Oblique, Inferior Oblique, & Vertical and they act with other cervical flexors to produce neck flexion. Most commonly tore/pulled during the whiplash movement.
Now I personally work with these muscular groups while offering options to the Atlas or C1. C1 is referred to as the Atlas, The Man Holding Up The Earth On His Shoulders. C2 is commonly known as the Axis, The Swivel. This region is heavy effected during falls, whiplash, and even serous sneezing. Now, Just Imagine Your Neck After A Day Of Looking DOWN At Your Phone In All Capacities. Yes, I Call That Cellular Neck Syndrome. So all these parts of the neck are fatigued or overused throughout the day and WHAM, you get T-Boned. Think About It
The last piece of this demo included the Hyoid Bone and the base of the tongue's relationship. So many attachment sights are centered around the Hyoid. Now, the reason way I appreciated this demo is that I just had a client that bites their cheek while eating or even talking sometime. "Everyone" chalked this up to a Jaw/Mandible issue. Maybe Yes?? Maybe No?? After releasing their Hyoid, their tongue lengthened, not longer short, rested comfortably behind their lower gums, and pain-free. All Good. No Slanted Bites
So I started with my person on the table ( supine ) first. I palpated around their collarbone/upper rib one and two before checking their neck. As I was working up their neck, they immediately informed me that they do NOT like fingers around their Larynx. So I switched my fingers to the anterior and found a comfortable area. I didn't perform the demo as shown but this person responded well to this new position. Their cervical vertebrae rotated distal from my hands and both of their shoulder blades softened laterally. They Were Stoked
For Me, Totally Different. I imagined/visualized the demo, guided my person through the release, and explained to them what/where they were feeling/observing. I tapped into my own Vagus Nerve at one point. Asked them what they were noticing to a response of, "not sure." Later, I focused my own fascia surrounding my SCM, Scalenes, & the Brachial Plexus Nerve and that is when my entire neck released and reset. I Could Finally Breathe!! The final piece, the final day, the human body is beyond brilliant I tell ya.
After closing circle, saying our good byes with heart to heart hugs, and departing, I walked out like the shiny nickel in the well water. Felt honored to have been an integral part and understanding clearly the few brand new arrows of healing power in my quiver. Such A Special Week
And that is what it is about this continuing education that keeps me returning and engaging. Learning, applying, exploring, and discussing Ortho-Biomony options. That morphs into this whole empowering entity. It's So Inspiring
Phuc Yes
The following day was just for me and me only. Full on bilateral movement while climbing along a crystal clear creek towards its head waters, ample sunshine, superb contrast of colors, and mountain stillness that brings on awareness to my tinnitus.
SEPTEMBERS NUMBERS:
Hiking - 42.8mi
Biking - 484.1mi
Hours - 40
PR's - 26
YTD Miles on the Bikes - 4,986.7 With A 10,000km Goal
I am keeping this in mind and not creating a bunch of excuses by any means. Really, not bitching or licking any wounds. I was off the bike completely for 7 full days, plus another 4 days of traveling, and only logged 26 activities during the month of September. But single track is single track and numbers are numbers.
GOALS:
- Calisthenics & Push Ups Before Rides
- Write Down Daily Intentions
- Educate Myself by Checking Out Our Library
- Try Out A New Recipe With Chicken OR Pork
- Dance Like Nobodies Watching
Thanx Again For Checking In,
Cheers
