Sand Beneath My Feet
By Gretchen M. Ashton, CFT, SFT, SFN, NBFE
D
uring my years as a competitive power lifter I utilized cross
training to enhance my performance. Each summer I selected a
completely different activity from my usual training to stimulate
mind, body and spirit. One of my most memorable experiences was
the season when I took instruction in Goju Ryu, an
Okinawan style of Karate.
Goju Ryu is a close contact encounter with hard and
soft techniques. Although Goju Ryu includes kicks,
takedowns and throws, most of my training was centered on grappling, circular hand motions, breathing
and concentration.
My favorite workouts were at the beach practicing
Katas. Katas are prearranged sequenced movements
for exercise and training used widely among the martial arts. Other exercises included the low and very
wide stance generally referred to as a “sumo stance”
which was incredibly effective leg training for the big
lifts of the squat and dead lift. My Sensei seemed to
float across the sand and my task was to simply stay
face-to-face with him while in this sumo stance position. At the time
it seemed impossible but I did my best and experienced improvement.
The breathing technique was amazing! Beginning with an inhale
through the nose I was told to imagine the air flowing down into
my abdomen curling around in a constant flow. The inhale, and
the exha