EXERCISES FOR ALL SEASONS: Open & Close Hip Joint

Stand on 1 leg, open & close hip-joint several times, slippery ice, front view - 02/04/11 (Winter)

I begin this video by deliberately sliding around on the ice to demonstrate that the surface I am standing upon is very slippery. Then, while standing on one leg, I open and close my weighted hip-joint several times, the same way I do when standing on dry land
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6g1-nnfHuA

How do I remain stable while standing on one leg on slippery ice?

I don't focus my mind on the slippery surface my shoe is contacting. Instead, I drop my weight (and my mind) right through the slippery ice, into the solid ground beneath the ice. To "root" my foot deep into the ground (not into the superficial layer of slippery ice on the surface), I inhale, inflate, and expand my abdomen downward into my supporting leg. That downward pressure helps solidify the connection of my leg to the ground below the slippery layer of ice that contacts my shoe. My mind drops right through the ice, into the earth. As if I am dropping an anchor through my body, right through the ice, right through the cement, deep into the center of the Earth. That thought, and the downward pressure of my abdomen, organizes all the tissues throughout my body so that I can remain standing stable on one leg on the slippery ice, and even open and close my hip-joint in opposite directions.

Usually, even when standing on perfectly dry land, a very strong root in my supporting foot is required to enable my weighted ball & socket hip-joint to open and close properly. In my video at this URL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70BlRQAq12s
I demonstrate other exercises that involve opening and closing the weighted hip-joint while standing on one leg. In the accompanying article, I discuss the importance of a strong root in the supporting foot to enable the weighted hip-joint to open and close effectively.

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In this "black ice study" I am using downward pressure of my abdomen into my supporting leg to help stabilize my body on a very slippery surface.

Downward pressure of my abdomen during deep abdominal breathing allows me not only to remain upright and well-aligned with gravity while standing on one leg, but also helps generate a very strong "root" in my supporting foot. This root, projecting (extending energetically) deep into the ground below the slippery ice, enables me to open and close my hip-joint, i.e., to reverse directions while standing on one foot - - first turn to my left, then turn to my right, then turn to my left, several times. Without a strong root in my supporting foot to support such reversal of movement, my ball & socket hip-joint can not open and close easily. If my supporting foot keeps sliding on the slippery ice without any downward traction, no such back and forth turning movement in my weighted hip-joint is possible while standing on one leg.

ChiGuy396

ChiGuy396@yahoo.com

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